


Where the Dog is Buried

by Lilium00



Category: Time Crisis (Video Games)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 10:53:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 36,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15095216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilium00/pseuds/Lilium00
Summary: Giorgio and Evan were sent to investigate an illegal gold mine in the Altai Mountains that bordered the south of Russia. They soon discovered that there was a bigger plot hidden beneath the surface and that it was up to them to stop it.





	1. Without a cat, mice will feel free.

**Author's Note:**

> \- Always wanted to try writing something with a Russian setting because the language is awesome and everything's beautiful, so here goes...! (Although we're most likely going to stay in the middle of nowhere without going into the cities much in this fic... TuT)
> 
> \- Did my best to research everything I could get my hands on about the settings and languages, but feel free to correct me if you spot any mistakes ^^
> 
> \- All OCs were created for the purposes of the plot.
> 
> \- Trivia: The fic's title and all the chapter titles are Russian proverbs. Go get cracking if you're interested and have fun! :D
> 
> \- Thanks to June Ellie for grammar checking!

**Disclaimer:**

This is a work of fiction and has no connection to any military or law enforcement agencies. Names, characters, business, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or deceased, or actual events is purely coincidental. Any trademarks appearing in this work are the property of their respective owners.

* * *

  **【Chapter 1: Без кота мышам раздолье】**

 _ー Bez kota mysham razdol'ye. ー  
_ _ー Without a cat, mice will feel free. ー_

_Altai Mountains, Russia 16:14_

It was a fair weather. VSSE operative agent Evan Bernard would have taken his time to enjoy the beautiful, scenic view of the snowy slopes of northern Altai, which was magnificently spread before himーif it weren't for the fact that a group of armed men hot on his trail wanted him dead.

A USB containing data about a terrorist threat, which he had just successfully procured from a hidden mountain outpost with an incredible amount of hard work, waved in the wind around his neck as he attempted escape on his snowmobile. Tensely, he glanced over his shoulder at the incoming danger.

" _Da_  (Yes)! Run while you can! Hahaha!"

The leader of the men, identified by Evan's intel as mercenary and wanted criminal Sergei Volkov, shouted after him menacingly from his own ride. A sharp-toothed wolfish grin spread across his bold features, the long scar down the left side of his face being a distinguishing mark.

One of his men drove his snowmobile for him as he aimed and continued to shoot at Evan like he was sport. The men on five more snowmobiles behind him followed suit. Evan ducked reflexively as bullets zipped by over him.

According to his superiors, Sergei was an illegal hunter, marksman, and a feared freelance assassin. Evan had no idea how long he would last once the man had his crosshairs pointed at him.

Cursing under his breath, he pressed down on his vehicle's accelerator to its maximum limit. Sergei and his men only reacted by doing the same, like predators with the confidence and excitement to tear down a running prey. Evan pushed on forward desperately, doing his best to maneuver past rocks and trees as he raced down the perilous slopes, not the least bit amused at his situation.

Earlier that month, the VSSE headquarters had received reports that there had been some illegal gold mining in these areas of the Altaiーand not just a small amount.

Despite the fact that the foothills of the 'Golden Mountain' had been known to yield various metals such as copper, silver and lead, gold was first discovered here and reported to the media only in recent years.

But apparently, these not-so-nice people, who were lucky enough to be the ones to discover the jackpot location, had actually found it decades ago. However, seeing that there was profit to be made, they had decided to keep the finding a secret and had started mining it on their own, for years.

It became a much bigger problem when the Russian police caught wind of the activity, along with the fact that all the money that had come from the gold had been laundered and used to fund the production of illegal weapons in large quantitiesーsomething to be worried about.

Sending in policemen to investigate however, had ended up with unexpected, cruel deaths at the hands of Sergei Volkov, a dangerous criminal who seemed to have been hired to safeguard the area.

The police, having had enough of letting these criminals move freely with no one to control them, decided to take action. Immediate aid from the VSSE had been requested, and they had sent in two of their best agents, Giorgio Bruno and his younger partner Evan Bernard. Their job would be to figure out who Sergei's boss was, capture him, and put an end to his actions.

Evan glanced down. Files containing transmissions that would uncover the mastermind's identity lay waiting in the USB. That was step one of his mission hanging around his neck. He hoped that he could make it to regroup again with Giorgio, who had been separated from him during their infiltration of Sergei's outpost.

A loud bang.

Evan barely knew what hit him as a strong force nailed his left arm, throwing him off-balance and off his snowmobile. He went crashing into the snow, smearing red against pure white as he tumbled across a distance. There was no time to thank the heavens that he didn't break his neckーa burning pain shot through him from his wound and he cried out in agony, clutching his arm.

The roar of engines quietened down as Sergei and his men came to a stop nearby.

Evan gritted his teeth in panic. Reaching down to his side, his hand very kindly informed him that his gun had slipped out of its holster during his fall, and must have gotten buried somewhere in the snow. His mind told him that his life was now a lost cause, but clinging onto his survival instincts, he desperately got himself back up, turned and half limped towards his fallen vehicle.

 _'Get away. Return to Giorgio. It can't end here!'_  Thoughts ran through his mind.

A snarl and loud barks. Any glint of hope Evan had was extinguished when a wolf jumped out from behind his snowmobile in front of him, followed by two more. They growled at him, hunger in their eyes, drool dripping like poison from merciless fangs. There was a distinct craziness in their angry scowls, sparked by the sight and smell of the fresh blood dripping from his arm.

Evan fell back into the snow, tense. Sergei laughed.

"My friends from these parts," he introduced with a sense of pride. The wolves continued to bark impatiently, their sharp eyes never leaving Evan. One of them tried to make a move.

" _Myesto_  (Stay)!" Sergei commanded fiercely. The beast whimpered and obeyed him. The other two wolves backed off timidly as well, head drooped low and tails between their legs. Evan wondered for a moment what sort of discipline Sergei must have given them to make them so obedient.

His thoughts were cut short when he heard Sergei walking over to him. He turned to face Sergei and could only back off helplessly. He hated to admit that he was being overpowered and backed into a cornerーsomething that he had always done his best to prevent. A hard, violent kick to the side of his head expressed Sergei's fury in its full glory.

Evan crashed roughly against the snow, groaning, his mind falling into an immediate daze. Through the haze, he felt the USB being forcefully pulled off his neck.

" _Non_..." Evan groaned weakly in protest, trying hard to remain conscious. He twisted his body a little, trying to focus his vision.

"Hah! That should teach you!" Sergei warned, straightening himself and shoving the USB into his pocket.

"Now that my business with you is done, I guess I'll let the wolves have you. Maybe the others will think twice before they try anything funny again," he smirked. "You should make good entertainment. I think I'll stay here for awhile and... watchーjust to be doubly sure that you're done with."

"..."

Evan thought that that would be the end of him. Through his still blurry vision, he watched the wolves snarl and bark as they approached...

The loud bang of gunshots tore through the air. Surprised, the wolves turned tail and ran, whimpering and barking.

"...!?" Sergei and his men turned to look at the cause of the distraction.

A tall man stood on an overhead rock with the sun behind him, gun pointed at them. The cold breeze blew through his dark hair as he scrutinized them with a dauntless, stern expression.

Agent Giorgio Bruno. Sergei, however, was not the least bit shaken.

"Hah! What's one man going to do to us! You're both going down!" He snarled fearlessly, readying his gun for a counterattack. Shouts that followed stopped him.

"SOBR!  _Zasty'n'te_  (Freeze)!"

Evan could see the silhouettes of several men dressed in black military uniforms, coming up from behind Giorgio and pointing their guns at Sergei and his men. Some of them came up around Evan to defend him. He ran his unfocussed gaze across the yellow 'С О Б Р' letters printed on their backs.

 _'The Special Rapid Response Unit, Russia's special forces... So Giorgio got us backup. How nice...'_  Evan forced a little smirk despite his throbbing head.

"The chase ends here. Give yourself up," Giorgio commanded, the calmness of his voice betraying the boiling anger that bubbled beneath the surface, knowing what Sergei had done to his partner.

Seeing the unexpected and unfavorable turn of events, the irritation was clear in Sergei's expression. He hated it the most when his hunt was disturbed, but he knew when it was wiser to retreat. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, with one swift movement, he flung a smoke bomb towards his adversaries.

Everyone was taken by surprise. A giant roar of engines was heard as Sergei and his men took off with their snowmobiles. Sergei might not have been able to eliminate their threat completely, but he had managed to recover the stolen information. Still, he shot a glare back at Evan. He wasn't known to let his targets survive, so he made it a point to remember Evan's faceーhe'd finish this business some day.

Giorgio's gaze was fixed on Sergei's retreating form as the smoke cleared. Some of the SOBR men immediately jumped onto their vehicles and gave chase to the criminal. Giorgio, however, decided that there were more important things to worry about at hand.

"Evan!"

He rushed down the slope and made his way to his fallen partner. Some medics had already gathered around the young man, doing their best to stop his bleeding. They shouted frantically in Russian to each other, bringing in emergency tools. Giorgio knelt down next to Evan, putting a firm hand on Evan's shoulder to let him know that he was there.

"Told you that splitting up was a bad idea," Giorgio scolded strictly. But with enough attention paid, one would be able to hear the deep worry in his voice, and see the distress in his frown.

" _Tonton_  (uncle)..." Evan called out weakly in almost a whisper, raising a feeble hand. His head hurt, his vision was still swimming, and he was beginning to feel lightheaded. He raised a loosely clasped feeble hand, reaching out for Giorgio.

Giorgio had lost track of how many times Evan had called him a variant of 'old man', but this was no time to worry about that. Maybe the damage Sergei did was worse than he thought. He grabbed and held onto Evan's hand.

"Yes, I'm here, Evan." The worry was apparent in his voice now.

Giorgio's expression then shifted to that of slight surprise when he saw a smile spread across Evan's faceーnot a weak innocent smile, but more of a mischievous, triumphant smirk.

Giorgio felt the weak hand he was holding unfurl its fingers to press a USB firmly into his palm.

"Enemy transmissions... Backup data..." Evan managed to force out through his headache.

Giorgio looked at the USB twice, disbelievingly, as if to make sure that it was actually there. He looked at Evan again.

"You sly fox! Did you let him take the original data back deliberately so they wouldn't know that we have the information?" Giorgio asked.

"Well...  _Non_... But at least, I'm prepared for it," Evan smirked. "We've been working together for like... what, four years! You should... learn to trust me more!"

"..."

Giorgio wondered whether Evan could actually argue that point, considering that he almost got himself killed in the process. Yet again. Like he always did. He had no idea when it would ever be alright to let the younger man out of his sight.

Evan's relaxed expression immediately turned serious again, as if he had suddenly remembered something grave. He grabbed Giorgio's sleeve forcefully, his voice remaining weak but hurried.

" _Tonton_ , listen! I saw things when we were separated... There's... more to this than meets the eye. We have to... move...!" Evan warned.

His sudden movement strained his wounded arm and he cringed from the pain. As a bonus, the throbbing in his head got to its maximum strength.

The medics and Giorgio hastened to calm him down. Through the continuous cacophony of orders being shouted, Evan could feel his sleeve being rolled up and the slight prick of a needle on his arm. His headache and the pain ebbed away slowly afterwards, along with his consciousness.

"Giorgio..." Evan called out in a whisper as his eyelids began to feel heavier and heavier. He felt Giorgio hold onto his hand firmly, to reassure him that he was still there.

"Worry not Evan, we'll strike when the time is right," Giorgio told him.

_"Everything will be alright. Rest for now."_

Giorgio's last words sounded distant as his vision darkened, but Evan liked the underlying gentleness that he had caught in itーsomething that his partner didn't usually show.

Feeling peaceful and accomplished, he allowed the quiet comfort of sleep to take him. Just before he closed his eyes completely, he thought that he heard the barking of a dog and saw the approaching figure of a woman.


	2. Neither down, nor feather

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't believe there are still people coming and reading the TC fics I've posted, considering how old the game is!  
> I'll do my best to update often (and hopefully improve in the process).  
> Thanks for reading and for the Kudos! ;w;

**【Chapter 2: Ни пуха, ни пера】**

_ー Ni puha, ni pera. ー  
_ _ー Neither down, nor feather. ー_

_Russian Border Service Outpost Clinic, Altai Mountains, Russia 21:43_

A slightly cold but agreeable temperature. The softness and comfort that seemed to embrace him from all sides. The welcoming smell of freshly washed sheetsー

Some time had passed before Evan's consciousness slowly came back to him. Feeling like a machine that had just been started up after being left unused for ages, he stirred and groaned a little, trying to open his heavy eyelids. He realized that despite his still relatively groggy state, most of his killer headache was gone, replaced by only a dull ache. Thank God.

It would seem that he had been returned from the snowy, savage wilderness to the comfort of a warm, soft bed in a proper clinic. His dirtied clothes had even been replaced with a clean hospital gown for him. Evan glanced at the clock on the wall across him to check the time.

9:45... He had been out half the day. That would explain his hunger.

From the corner of his eye, he caught an IV stand to his left, the blood in the bag hanging from it dripping rhythmically. He must have lost quite a bit as they carried him here from the middle of the mountains, he thought.

Other than that, he felt the tautness of bandages around his head and more bandages on his left arm where Sergei had shot him. The rest of his body felt like lead, his muscles deciding that it was payback time for all the distance he had run that day. Evan was barely out of his drowsy stupor when he heard a happy voice from his right.

"You're awake!"

If anyone was waiting on him, Evan had expected it to be Giorgio, but it was a female voice, with a slight Russian accent if he had caught it right. A nurse?

He quickly snapped into alertness and turned to his right. A woman with long blond hair around his age, most likely a little younger, was sitting there next to him with a friendly smile. He wondered how groggy he must have been to not even have felt her presence.

"...?"

The woman was, however, not wearing a nurse's uniform. Instead, she wore the uniform of the  _spetsnaz_ , Russia's special forces. A relatively large German Shepherd with a police dog vest was sitting at her feet, tail swishing in excitement at his awakening.

Immediately realizing how shabby he must be looking in front of an officer, Evan reflexively tried to sit up and straighten himself. But accidentally putting his weight on his wounded arm, he only managed to grimace in pain.

"No no no, it's alright. Lie down," the woman said gently, quickly standing up and helping him lean back onto his bed.

Evan caught the light, sweet scent of perfume. The woman looked at him with concern and their eyes met, making him study her gaze for a moment.

Despite the sharp, always alert look of a well-trained officer, he could see the gentleness behind her cold, ice-blue eyesーthis was someone who cared for those around her. Her long lashes and pink cheeks against pale skin brought out her femininity. Evan could swear that he finally understood what they meant when they said that Russia had the most beautiful women.

He stared in wonder. She broke eye contact.

"Well... Agent Bernard, isn't it? I guess I'll have to introduce myself," the young woman said, pulling back and straightening herself, her posture neat and perfect. Her earlier gentle expression turned more formal and businesslike.

"Major Natalya Lebedeva, from the SOBR. Thanks to the new information that you gathered with Agent Bruno, we were able to estimate the enemy's strength. The SOBR will now assist you alongside the Border Service in this mission," she explained.

"The special unit's aid for the whole mission...?" Evan groaned slowly, his voice still slightly hoarse as he had just woken up. "Then we must be... up against one hell of an enemy."

"..." Natalya's thin, well-trimmed brows creased slightly.

Feeling bad for having worried her, Evan hurriedly backpedalled.

"Nothing that Giorgio and I can't take on, of course!" He laughed. "Either way, pleased to meet you, Major Lebedeva. The SOBR's help will be a blessing!"

Natalya smiled a little at his cheerfulness. "The VSSE has been known to accomplish great things. We put our trust in you. Thanks for the help, Agent Bernard."

Evan looked away, feeling some blood involuntarily rush to his cheeks. The next moment, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Natalya invited.

The door was opened and in came Giorgio, laptop in hand, looking rather frazzled. A little bit of life seemed to come back to his face when he saw Evan.

"Oh, look who's awake."

" _Tonton_  (Uncle)! You have  _no idea_  how much I've missed you!" Evan exaggerated, jokingly driving home how displeased he was that Giorgio wasn't there when he woke up.

"That's because someone needs to work on cracking your hard work,  _bambino_  (kid)," Giorgio retorted frankly, flicking a small rectangular object at Evan.

Evan caught it, unclasping his hands to see that it was the USB which he had passed on to Giorgio earlier. He grinned cheekily at his partner. A hopeful look sparked in Natalya's eyes.

"So, what fish did we catch?" Evan asked, excited.

Giorgio took quick strides to the bedside table, opening his laptop there and beginning to work on it. Evan and Natalya leaned in from both sides and peered curiously over his shoulders. The German Shepherd, who had been quiet and well-behaved, raised his ears and head in interest.

"We had help from Lieutenant Aleksandr Sokolov, from the Politsiya's Criminal Investigations Department in Moscow, to crack all the Russian codes. I told him about all the other information that we have gathered so far. Just now, we finally managed to break open the locked files."

Giorgio finished typing on the laptop.

"Here, I've connected it to Lieutenant Sokolov. He said that he'd put all the information together and explain it to us," he said, moving back a little to let Evan and Natalya have a look as well.

A new window opened onscreen. A smartly dressed man in his early thirties greeted them from the other side. Evan noted how he looked exceptionally fit and muscular despite his desk job. His face was a stern one, showing that he wasn't one to take nonsense from anyone. He wondered if the man used to work in the field.

" _Dobriy vyecher_  (Good evening), Lieutenant Aleksandr Sokolov here," he introduced. He nodded lightly at Natalya to acknowledge her. She nodded back. He continued.

"VSSE, we'd like to thank you for the information you gathered. We're also glad that you made it back safely."

"Don't worry about it!" Evan replied happily, pleased with his accomplishments. Giorgio shot him a momentary glare for his carefreeness despite what had happened to him. Aleksandr nodded at Evan, before continuing.

"Alright, so here's what's in the USB," he said, clicking a few buttons. A new window opened, and a spinning, 3D map of a part of the Altai Mountains was shown on the screen.

"Our illegal gold mine has been successfully located. Seems that it's to the far north of your outpost. Obstructed by mountains and snow, and generally bad weather, the natural terrain has made the area quite impossible to reach aside from this route," he said, scrolling to zoom in on one area.

"Via this small secret tunnel here that the enemy dug up by themselves. I wouldn't blame you if you could never find the location without this map. Good work retrieving it."

 _'Score!'_  Evan made a small victory pose, cringing a little when he inadvertently strained his wounded arm again. Natalya glanced at him worriedly. Aleksandr continued.

"About the transmission files that Agent Bernard retrieved however, they seem to be highly encrypted. To make matters worse, Volkov and his boss seem to be talking in codes. They've certainly been prepared. I'm afraid it will take some more time before we can crack it and reveal the enemy leader's identity."

Aleksandr sighed, looking at all the open windows on the screen for a moment to put things together.

"While we work on that, it's perhaps wise to go to the gold mine and stop the activities there. Cutting their supply of funds will halt their weapons production and buy us some time," he deduced, "The ore processing factory's located just near the entrance of the mine. Stopping its operations should do the job. I should warn you that you'll most likely run into Volkov again along the way. Man's sharp enough to sniff you out. Good luck to all of you."

"We'll need a lot of that," Evan said, unconsciously putting a hand over his bandaged arm. He was certainly not looking forward to seeing Sergei again. Giorgio spoke.

"Thanks, Lieutenant Sokolov. We'll see what we can do."

"No problem. I'll send you a map and provide you with intel throughout your mission. Keep sending me new information if you find more."

Everyone nodded, but before the conversation was terminated, Aleksandr asked again.

"Just one thing, though. Agent Bernard, Agent Bruno mentioned that you saw something when you infiltrated Volkov's outpost earlier. May I know what it was?"

"Ah!" Evan exclaimed. He narrowed his eyes, trying to recall. Everyone looked at him expectantly. He finally spoke.

"Androids."

"...?"

"No, not the operating system! I mean actual humanoid robots!" Evan frantically exclaimed.

"In the room that I took the data from, there were three or four of them just sitting there like broken dolls on the floor. I don't know if they're working, but there were some blueprints of them lying on the table. I certainly don't want to think that they're building an android army with their funds."

Giorgio narrowed his eyes. His mind ran back to one of the VSSE's old mission reports, codenamed  _'Project Titan'_. Something similar had been attempted before, so it wasn't completely impossible for it to happen again. If that was true, then they had better hurry and stop this.

"...Very well," Aleksandr replied, "I'll keep that in mind and see if I can find out more about it. I'll contact you again later."

Everyone nodded and the conversation window was closed. Giorgio looked at Evan.

"Guess we know what to do next!" Evan said eagerly.

"...Is it really alright for Agent Bernard to go on this mission?" Natalya asked Giorgio, worried about Evan's wounds.

"C'mon, it's just my left arm. Giorgio'd be in more trouble if he was fighting alone," Evan replied, rolling his eyes.

"Well, one VSSE agent, even without a left arm, is quite a big asset," Giorgio began, but then he gave Evan a stern look. "But no moving in front like you usually do. Stay behind me this time, and stay close."

"Tch,  _fine._ " Evan shrugged in slight annoyance, much like a boy who had just been grounded. Giorgio knew that he understood his situation fully well though, so he moved on to address Natalya.

"Major Lebedeva, we'll discuss strategies."

Natalya nodded. However, a loud growl from Evan's stomach interrupted the conversation. The other two looked at him and he looked away, slightly embarrassed.

"Hungry?" Giorgio teased.

"Starving!" Evan complained.

Natalya giggled lightly, her gentle tone and expression returning again once the business talk was over.

"What would you like? We have a small kitchen at this outpost."

Ah, Evan decided that he loved it when she was taking care of him. When everyone thinks that you're a tough, invincible secret agent, no one really spoiled you much anymore. How nice it was to have someone pampering you again!

" _Mademoiselle!_  Tell me your recommendations," he grinned.

"Hmm~," she thought, nicely trimmed nails and slender fingers at her lips.

"It's cold tonight, so you can't go wrong with some warm borsch!" She smiled a motherly smile.

Knowing that a cold, tough mission lay ahead of them, Evan decided that he'd savor all the warm comfort that the night had to offer while he could.


	3. Work’s not a wolf—it won’t run to the woods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Attempts were made by the author to update every weekend*  
> I'd update everyday if I could! For those interested, check back here every Sunday.  
> Wish me luck XD

**【Chapter 3: Работа не волк—в лес не убежит】**

_ー Rabota ne volk—v les ne ubezhit. ー  
_ _ー Work's not a wolf—it won't run to the woods. ー_

_Northern Altai Mountains 9:21_

Despite the fact that it was a sunny day, cruel cold winds blew endlessly over the snowy mountaintops. On the outskirts of a forest, a pack of wolves snarled and growled ferociously at each other, fighting over the fresh juicy meat of a reindeer who had been unlucky enough to have become their prey. Life was harsh in the peaks' eternal winter.

The sudden loud roaring of rotor blades that tore through the still air surprised the savage animals, making them run into the nearby trees for cover.

A white and blue helicopter, the Russian letters for  _'Politsiya'_  painted clearly across its side, flew over the wide expanse of virgin snow and wilderness, still beautiful, unmarred by human hands. A few more helicopters, carrying Natalya's SOBR troop, followed closely behind.

In the first helicopter Evan had, as usual, chosen the 'window seat', leaning out a little to take in the breathtaking panorama below. However, his face had telltale signs that he wasn't enjoying the ride at all. Naturally, Giorgio noticed, knowing Evan well enough to read him like a book. Natalya, who was sitting on his other side, seemed to have noticed something off about him as well, so to relieve their worries, Giorgio called out.

"Hey, Evan. You were the most excited of all of us last night. Where did that go? Didn't sleep well?"

"...Yeah," Evan replied, rubbing his tired eyes. A yawn escaped him as if to prove his point.

He had had a delicious, fulfilling dinner last night, topped with Giorgio and Natalya spoiling him a little more before leaving him to rest. Evan thought that he was sure to have a nice, comfortable sleep. But oh, how mistaken he was!

Sergei Volkov, murderous eyes brimming with savage killing intent, plagued him throughout the night. From the moment Evan had fallen asleep up until the second he woke up, he had been continuously chased by Sergei's wolves. If he recalled the fuzzy dream correctly, they had even bitten and torn him up a few times before Sergei walked up to him menacingly to shoot him in the head.

As a result, Evan had slept enough, but he could barely say that his exhaustion was gone. He pulled himself in and leaned back against his seat.

It wasn't the first time that this sort of thing had happened. Considering his line of work, near-death experiences during missions had become something like an old friend. He had had various job-related nightmares before as well. Evan wondered if his tiredness was just getting to him.

"Hey,  _tonton_ , are you not afraid?" He asked offhandedly.

"...?" Giorgio raised an eyebrow in question.

"To die," Evan continued, "I know that of course, every VSSE agent's ready to lay down their lives if it's for the good of the world. Someone needs to finish the job, come what may. But when you really think about it, aren't you scared...?"

"...Strange of you to be thinking so deep," Giorgio replied to the usually carefree young man. He paused a little before continuing, noticing that the question had also gathered Natalya's attention.

"Well, any living thing would value survival instinctively, so it's just natural. But just because we're ready to die, doesn't mean that we'll just let anyone die off if we can help it. That's why we're trained and sent in pairs to increase chances of survival," he assured, "As your partner, my job is to make sure that you return safely."

He looked at Evan and Natalya, satisfied that both of them seemed to have received a new sense of reassurance.

"I think you're just tired," Giorgio told Evan, "It's still going to take awhile before we arrive. Take a nap."

Evan grinned at him, his cheerfulness returning. "Okay,  _tonton_!"

He leaned back and shifted a little to settle into a comfortable position. But finding the back of the seat too straight and that any position felt somewhat awkward, he decided to just let himself borrow Giorgio's shoulder.

Giorgio was about to protest the moment he felt Evan's weight, but then he saw how Evan's earlier worried look had dissolved away back into his usual innocent expression. He sighed and decided to just let him be. At least Natalya seemed to approve of his patience and kindness.

Evan napped peacefully.

* * *

_Hidden tunnel entrance, Northern Altai Mountains 9:47_

The hidden tunnel towards the gold mine was in view, carefully fenced off as if guarding some legendary treasure. Inside the fence, a small building served as a guard outpost. Several heavily armed men guarded the fence's entrance gates.

From behind the trees, Giorgio secretly peered at them, carefully observing the area to find any weak spot. Evan and Natalya followed quietly right behind him. A little further back, the SOBR men awaited further commands.

The helicopters had dropped them some distance away earlier and they had quietly walked here on foot, using the trees as cover so that they weren't spotted. Everyone was glad that it wasn't snowing that day, or else the mission would have been more than twice as difficult. So far, so good.

When Evan suddenly felt some fur brush against his leg, he jumped and almost made a scene. Reminded of his dreams and thinking that it was some wolf come to get him, he was relieved when he looked down only to find Natalya's German Shepherd, also ready for action as he squeezed in between them.

" _Myesto_  (Stay)!" Natalya commanded the police dog strictly in a hushed voice. The dog obeyed and moved quietly to her side, where she rubbed his head playfully. Evan smiled in amusement, Giorgio watched with interest.

"You haven't told me the little guy's name," Evan whispered.

"It's Maksim. You can call him Maks. He's one of our best police dogs," Natalya introduced proudly. "You can pet him. He's quite friendly to allies."

" _Bonjour_ , Maks!" Evan whispered as he petted the dog, who panted and wagged his tail at him happily.

"So what's the plan?" Natalya asked Giorgio. They looked back at the guards.

"Volkov should still be at his outpost away from here, unaware that we know this tunnel's location," Giorgio said. "I'd prefer that we keep it that way for as long as possible. If we're lucky, we can keep him out of this until we've captured this area."

"...Alright, I'll get Lieutenant Sokolov to block the signals to their communication devices," Natalya replied, "If we can somehow get past those guards at the fence, my men will capture the ones inside the outpost building and open the road for us."

"We'd appreciate that," Giorgio said, "As for how we're going to get past the fence guards..." He turned to look at Evan, who was obviously distracted as he continued playing with Maksim.

"We'll use the dog."

* * *

 The weather was cold. One of the men guarding the fence sneezed. His fellow guard chided him a little, telling him to stay alert. Even so, he couldn't say that he too was happy with the job himself either.

When told about the handsome salary that they would be receiving just to keep watch over a small outpost, all the men here had jumped in immediately. But when the real job actually started, none of them had expected how balls cold, lonely and boring it would be out here in the middle of nowhere. That, coupled with the hidden location, meant that they had been staying here for months guarding the place against practically nothing.

A wild animal would pass by every once in awhile, but not a soul that would be interested in their gold or their activities. Some of the men had begun to grow tired from the boredom and wondered if their salary was actually worth it.

One of the guards was nodding off, on the verge of falling asleep out of lack of things to do, when he suddenly heard barks. He snapped back to his senses, holding up his gun. The rest of the entrance guards did the same.

From the trees in the distance, they saw the approaching form of a running dog. It stopped a little ahead of them, panting and wagging its tail playfully.

The men lowered their guns. Just when they thought that they finally had something to do, it was just a dog. Annoyed, one of them walked forward to shoo the animal away.

It was only then that he noticed how the dog seemed to be a pretty tame and well-bred German Shepherd, not a wild animal. Something like this shouldn't be wandering around here by itself...

His eyes widened when realization hit him, but he was too late. He turned around to see his fellow guards shot down. A moment later, he felt a sharp object prick him on his back. The guard's consciousness faltered as he fell down into the snow, revealing Giorgio with his gun standing a little behind him.

"Good job with the tranquilizers!" Natalya cheered, walking up next to Giorgio.

"Thanks to Maks, the job's cleanly done," Giorgio replied, looking across the field. Evan was there with some of the SOBR men behind the snow-capped bushes, giving him a thumbs up.

All clear. Natalya immediately signaled for more of her men to follow up. They followed her orders, rushing past the gates to surround the outpost, forcing the remaining guards inside to surrender.

" _Zdorovo_  (Great)! We've managed to capture the outpost!" Natalya announced triumphantly. "We'll bring the captured guards in for questioning. Some men will keep watch for us here while we proceed through the tunnel to the factory."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's hope that the rest of the mission goes as smoothly as this," Giorgio said, promptly spinning his gun and sheathing it back into its holster for the time being. He walked over to the entrance of the tunnel and saw that they had quite some distance to travel.

Today would probably be a long day, but he'd see to it that the job was carried out properly.


	4. An uninvited guest is worse than a Tatar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YouTube's an awesome place for education.  
> *researches a lot of things for this fic*

**【Chapter 4: Незваный гость хуже татарина】**

_ー Ne zhdanny gost' khuze Tatarina. ー_  
_ー An uninvited guest is worse than a Tatar. ー_

_Hidden tunnel, Altai Mountains 10:23_

The secret tunnel was dark, damp, cold and miserable, but fortunately for Giorgio and the team, the trek through it had not been too difficult. Guards patrolled at intervals, but after months of having no intruders, they were found to be quite slack, not expecting anything, and therefore, terribly unprepared.

Giorgio and Evan had been able to easily ambush most of them and take them down by surprise. Time and again, Evan would rush forward, his reflexes automatically sending him to the usual position he would assume in front of Giorgio had he not been injured. In which case, Giorgio would simply grab him by the arm, careful not to touch the bandaged area, and pull him back behind him without a word. The action itself was enough to remind Evan of their agreement the previous night.

Evan clicked his tongue in annoyance, but understood the need for safety. Another thing Giorgio would keep an eye on was how Evan, usually using his gun double-handed, was now struggling a little with his aim, his support arm being unavailable.

On the other hand, Natalya was proving herself to be quite an expert at shooting as well as commanding, abilities well worth her rank as Major. Her orders were clean, calculated, and well-organized. The SOBR's aid had certainly made the job that much easier and safer. Giorgio and Evan couldn't be more thankful.

If there was anything that Giorgio would like to complain about, it was probably the cold, which seemed to get to him no matter how thickly he had made sure to dress. The fine, warm mediterranean climate of Italy was something he greatly missed already.

He glanced at Evan and Natalya, who seemed to be doing unbelievably well despite the temperature. People from the north. Oh, the envy.

Giorgio sneezed.

* * *

_Illegal gold mine, Altai Mountains 10:32_

Having mostly breezed through the tunnel, the team now stood at its exit, looking down at a wide open area covered in snow, encircled by the rocky mountain walls.

The gold mine they had been looking for had been dug into one side of the walls. The processing factory and houses that acted as the miners' shelter stood around it. Several guards could be seen patrolling. Trucks and men went about their business carrying ore and mining tools to and from the mine, a system set up to tick as perfectly and as efficiently as clockwork.

Small beeps from their earpieces. A message from Aleksandr.

"Lieutenant Sokolov here. Thanks for the report on your progress," he stated, "So far, there have been no signs of anyone trying to contact the guard outpost at the tunnel entrance yet, so Volkov probably hasn't noticed you and you're safe."

"The majority of the people working at the mines are most likely average men untrained for combat. But still, I urge you to be careful. This is the first time we have made it this far. We have no intel on whether or not the enemy had any other hired mercenary inside the factory," he warned.

"Either way, the backup SOBR troop has arrived at the cave entrance and they'll be guarding it. If Volkov thinks he can try to attack you from behind, he can dream on."

" _Spasiba_ , Sokolov," Natalya thanked him. She then turned towards Giorgio and Evan.

"So, I guess that's less things for us to worry about. Shall we?"

Evan nodded. Giorgio sneezed again.

"The faster, the better," he said, pulling his jacket closer together and walking ahead quickly.

* * *

The team moved swiftly in the shadows of trees and buildings. Giorgio, Evan and Natalya first, quietly taking out the guards. The rest of the SOBR men followed a little behind in small groups, providing backup and taking care of the fainted guards so they didn't attract attention.

Pushing through patiently one step at a time, they eventually arrived at the gold processing factory, ambushing the guards and entering through the back door. Natalya signaled for her men to follow. They entered and everyone stared in wonder.

The interior of the factory was wider than it had looked like outside. Contrary to their expectations that there would be many factory workers inside, they didn't see anyoneーeverything seemed to be automated.

The rolling sounds of mills grinding gold ore into pebbles and then fine sand was heard from afar. Conveyor belts that crisscrossed all across the floor carried the various materials from one stage of the process to the next. Measurements, the mixing of chemicals, and sample gathering seemed to all be done by computers and machines where it would usually be done by humans.

The hiss of smoke and the loud blazing sound of fire was heard as a smelter rolled over, pouring pure liquid gold into a bar mold. In the section next to the smelter, bars that had solidified were cooled in cold water, then transported by a conveyor belt to another machine which cleaned it of any residues. The fresh, shiny gold ingots then went along to a weighing machine, where the computer would note its weight and value.

Evan watched as a robotic arm picked up a finished ingot, a truly well-crafted piece of art, very carefully. It was then placed gently into a chest next to him, ready to be shipped and sold.

"Can I have one?" Evan asked with a grin, peering into the chest. He could see his face reflected on the well-polished ingots, the brilliant light shining against his complexion.

"No," Giorgio said lazily, more glad that he could unzip his jacket as it was warmer indoors. With the numerous smelters, it was actually kind of hot.

"Lieutenant Sokolov, we're inside. I'm sending you visuals," Natalya said. "Are you seeing this? It seems that they're very technologically advanced. I don't think that the ones behind this are just your average criminals."

"Neither do I," Giorgio agreed. "But seeing how things are all run by machines here, at least we can be sure that everything will stop if we pull the plug on them."

They would need to find it first though.

"Well, don't see any guards here. Good idea to split up this time?" Evan suggested, toying with the grip of his gun eagerly. Giorgio looked at him and the others, weighing his options for a moment.

"Fine, but in groups and not so far separated. Stay in touch and report immediately if anything happens."

* * *

The search for the factory's power generator began. Giorgio, Evan, and Natalya stuck together, investigating the deeper parts of the factory.

They had taken it upon themselves to search this area, since it was the most likely place for any possible threat to dwell. Maksim had followed along, sniffing around the nooks and crannies between machines for anything worth notifying them about.

Giorgio led the way through corridors and metallic stairs. Evan followed closely behind, looking around, glancing back every once in awhile to make sure that their back was protected.

The lights around this part of the factory were either dim, flickering, or out altogether. All the work done by machines once they had been set up, no one had been around for a long time, proven by the thickly dust-caked floors and railings. Someone certainly needed to do some heavy maintenance. The fact that there was no sound in the air aside from the echoes of grinding mills, the humming of engines, and the mechanical noises of robotic arms made Evan all the more uneasy. Despite all the bustling activities, the place felt disturbingly lifeless and creepy.

After passing through a dark claustrophobic corridor, they finally reached an open area. The lights here could also use some fixing, but Evan was relieved to have some space to move around in. He stretched lightly as Giorgio and Natalya examined the area.

The room was wide. Several waist-high tanks the size of swimming pools were spread across the room. The tanks seemed to contain various liquids and slurries. Some of them were interconnected, transporting the liquids after the treatment in one tank to another. Others churned continuously, carrying out other processes. Aleksandr's voice came in from the earpiece.

"This area's where crushed gold ore is treated once it's out of the mill. Water and cyanide are mixed in in that tank, then sent to the settling tanks next to it, and then to the agitation tanks over there. These processes remove impurities little by little. I don't have to warn you not to fall into them."

"Of course. Thanks!" Evan answered.

A few sudden barks from Maksim attracted everyone's attention.

"Maks?" Natalya asked, approaching the dog.

"...?" Evan glanced in the direction Maksim was barking at. He spotted a huge glass board pinned to the wall.

"Floor plans!  _Bravo_ , Maks!" He exclaimed. Giorgio and Natalya looked up, rejoicing with him when they saw it.

But before they could even look at it, the shrill wail of sirens filled the air, surprising them. Metallic shutters began to come down over the room's doorways.

"They've found us!" Evan exclaimed, running towards one of the shutters only to bump into it as it closed completely. He banged it a couple of times, the metal proving to be thick and sturdy. Evan took a few nervous steps back, looking back at Giorgio and Natalya.

A sudden buzz from their earpiece and the voice of one of the SOBR officers came in, frantically reporting to Natalya in Russian. A scream and the transmission was cut halfway. Natalya called back desperately with a worried look.

"What is it?!" Giorgio asked in concern.

"My menーthey're under attack!"

"...?!"

" _Tak-tak-tak_  (Well, well, well), look what we have here," a deep voice suddenly said from behind them.

Turning around, they saw a bulky man standing on a balcony not far above themーa man none other than the mercenary they had least wanted to see, Sergei Volkov. He toyed with his shotgun, sharp eyes of a predator studying the three of them like prey.

"You should be more worried about yourselves. I'll be giving you the special treatment," he warned.

Something struck Natalya and she immediately called out to Aleksandr. "Lieutenant Sokolov! Are the men at the tunnel outpost alright?!"

"There's been no struggle at the tunnel entrance," Aleksandr replied, "How did Volkov get there?!"

"Well," Sergei began, "After you stole that USB, I simply came straight here instead of my base. You know, as a precaution. To think that you've actually managed to find out more than expected. But I guess this is a good chance to settle some business."

He pointed his gun at Evan menacingly. Evan glared back at him, swallowing nervously. A few of Sergei's men appeared from behind the tanks and machinery, weapons ready.

"Either way, the boss said he'll figure something out," Sergei said in a relaxed manner. "I'll take care of you, and then I'll get rid of the rest of your men!" He declared.

Giorgio, Evan, and Natalya held onto their weapons, ready for battle.


	5. Stuck like a bath house leaf!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing at the speed of 500 words per hour.  
> Adding in the researching, checking and fixing, it's quite impossible to manage one chapter per day with my busy work schedule x.x  
> But one update every two days seems somewhat manageable.  
> Aiming to complete one whole multi-chaptered story per month :D

**【Chapter 5: Пристал, как банный лист!】**

_ー Pristal kak bannyi list! ー_  
_ー Stuck like a bath house leaf! ー_

_Gold processing factory, Altai Mountains 12:27_

The way Sergei's men fought made it clear that they had been told not to spare anyone.

The first thing Giorgio and the team did was to duck and look for cover. Luckily, there were plenty of machines and structures all around the room. Sergei jumped down the low balcony to join the fray.

Dodging bullets, Evan quickly rolled behind a pillar. He could see neither Giorgio nor Natalya from his position. They were outnumbered and Sergei certainly had the upper hand. If he took them out one by one, they'd be done for. His mind racing, Evan quickly brainstormed possible plans.

 _'Alright, first reduce the number of people,'_  he thought over the sound of gunfire.

Glancing to his right, he spotted another pillar. Readying himself quickly and taking a deep breath, he immediately bounded towards it, taking out as many people as he could on the way.

He was barely halfway there when Sergei, suddenly appearing from behind a pile of nearby crates, forcefully tackled him away from the fight.

"...!"

Evan let out a cry of pain as his wounded arm crashed hard against the concrete floor.

"You're mine!" Sergei exclaimed as he got back to his feet. There was a crazed excitement in his eyesーlike a wolf whose prey was just in reach. He studied Evan from head to toe, as if examining some goods... or food.

"You know, as a hunter, I do like to keep parts of my catch as trophies. Brings back the memories and excitement of the hunt. Perhaps an eye or a bone. What should I keep from you...?" He mused, more to himself.

Ignoring the chill it sent down his spine, Evan got up and evaded just quickly enough to avoid losing his working arm to Sergei's shotgun. He shot a few rounds at Sergei in retaliation.

"As if I'd let you have me!" Evan shouted back defiantly.

"It wouldn't be fun if you were that easy to catch!" Sergei laughed, dodging and shooting back, enjoying himself.

Away from them, the fighting that was taking place carried on. If Evan couldn't see Giorgio and Natalya from here, they most likely wouldn't be able to see him either. Fat chance that any help was coming, but he had to either fight or die.

Sergei, however, was certainly a professional at his job, not letting Evan nail him easily at all.

Evan ducked behind some drums after emptying his magazine. He was just about to reload, but to his astonishment, he found Sergei's three wolves bounding towards him from his left.

Evan cursed loudly. Sergei laughed as he watched him run for his life, nightmares from the previous night replaying in his mind. One of the wolves jumped at him aggressively. Evan swung his arm with great force, knocking it away as he continued to run.

_'This can't be happening!'_

A set of ladders to a balcony ahead. Some hope!

Evan sprinted harder, jumped and grabbed hold of the ladder once it was in reach. He climbed up quickly. The wolves below jumped and barked. But being unable to reach him, they glared and growled in frustration.

Evan made it to the top safely, straightened himself up, and looked down at the irritated animals.

"Hah! Eat that!" He said smugly, feeling accomplished. Unfortunately, he had completely forgotten about Sergei.

A big hand suddenly grabbed him roughly by the right wrist, disarming him before painfully twisting his arm to his back. Sergei then wrapped his other arm around Evan's neck, locking him in a chokehold. From the corner of his eye, Evan caught sight of another set of ladders nearbyーSergei must have used that to get to him.

Now, as a trained field agent, Evan had been taught multiple ways to break free from this position. He had even practiced it until he was perfect at it. ...Except this time, his right arm was locked behind him and his left arm's wound was throbbing. Having nothing he could use to retaliate with, Evan choked helplessly.

Sergei snickered triumphantly against his ear. Evan could smell the pungent alcohol on his breath. Ruthlessly, Sergei tightened his grip.

"It's nice and all to kill with guns," Sergei began. "But in the end, nothing compares to killing with your own two hands, don't you think? You feel how powerful you truly are," he said, enjoying the moment in a sickening fashion.

"Let... go!" Evan protested through gasps. He tried fighting back with his legs, but the man behind him didn't seem to budge. He felt his consciousness begin to leave him.

"Isn't it funny how humans seem to be at the top of the food chain, but our bodies are so fragile?" He heard Sergei's voice. "Luckily, we'll get over that fragility soon. Too bad you won't be around to see it."

"...?" Through his desperate lack of air, Evan wondered whether Sergei was babbling nonsense or if he was hearing things.

_'Is this it?'_

Evan was just on the brink of giving up when Sergei suddenly let out a pained grunt. He felt Sergei's hold on him loosening for some reason. He had no idea what was happening, but it was a chance for escape too good to be wasted.

Putting in everything he had, he elbowed Sergei with his left arm as hard as he could, gritting his teeth as the action caused his wound to reopen again. With Sergei's hold further loosened, Evan managed to break free, quickly rolling to the side to grab his fallen handgun. He pointed it at Sergei.

"Don't move!" Evan warned, breathing heavily to compensate for the earlier suffocation.

Sergei was gripping at his stomach in hopes of easing his pain. But Evan noticed that Sergei's hand was nowhere near wherever he had been elbowed. The big man was sweating bullets, expression contorting in agony.

"Not now...!" Sergei muttered in irritation.

"...?"

Evan wondered if the man had some sort of condition. But whatever it was, Sergei wasn't about to let it get in his way. Ignoring the fact that he was facing an armed man, Sergei charged at Evan.

Effectively caught by surprise, Evan found himself getting grabbed by his left arm where it hurt. With Evan unable to fight back, Sergei proceeded to use his weight to push him all the way towards the railings behind him.

Evan winced as his back crashed against the hard steel with a resounding clang. Sergei continued to wrestle with him viciously, trying to tip him over the edge. Glancing behind him, Evan could see the cyanide tank bubbling right beneath him. Falling into it would mean certain death from poisoning.

"Got you now..." Sergei growled.

Evan held on for dear life. He noticed, however, that despite his menacing tone, Sergei was struggling, holding back some pain himself. His grip had considerably weakened compared to a few minutes earlier. Noticing that the tables had turned, Evan decided to take his chances.

He kneed Sergei in the stomach where he had seen him hold it earlier, inflicting considerable agony. The grip on him loosening immediately, Evan broke free, moving away to put a good distance between them. He aimed his gun at Sergei again, doubly cautious this time.

Sergei was leaning against the balcony railings for support, looking as though he was at his limit. Evan almost felt sorry that such a strong man had been reduced to such a pitiful, miserable state. But he reminded himself that he was facing a dangerous criminal.

"You know where this is going. It's over," Evan said, "I imagine that it has been hard to get proper treatment as a wanted man. If you turn yourself in, we'll see to it that you're given proper medication."

"In prison? While you torture me for information? Hahaha...!" Sergei forced out a laugh through his suffering.

He looked over the tanks towards the other side of the room. His men seemed to have been defeated. Giorgio and Natalya, although exhausted, were quickly making their way towards them.

" _Blyat!_  We were close... SO close... But I guess this is it for me," Sergei lamented.

"...?" Evan watched him carefully. Sergei turned back to look at him.

"It has been a fun game. Shame that I couldn't get you myself, but they will soon... For sure," he said cryptically.

With a final beastly laugh, Sergei Volkov spread his arms proudly, leaning back and letting himself plummet over the edge of the railing.

"No...!"

Evan rushed towards the railing. Leaning over the edge, all he saw was a huge splash as Sergei fell into the cyanide tank down below.

"..."

Evan was silent for a moment. Eventually, the tiredness and strain caught up to him. He collapsed to the ground, the battle ending just like that. Many questions came to mind about the various things that Sergei had been saying throughout the fight.

"Evan!" He heard Giorgio call out, arriving at the balcony with Natalya. With Sergei's wolves having run off somewhere after some warning shots from Giorgio, Maksim waited patiently at the foot of the ladder.

"Agent Bernard! We thought you were dead! Thank God you're alive," Natalya exclaimed worriedly, running to him. "That arm needs to be looked at. Are you hurt anywhere else?"

While Natalya gave Evan a quick check-up, Giorgio peered over the railing at the tank below. The chemical sloshed quietly, its opaqueness hiding what was within.

"Quite impressive of you to win by yourself while staying in one piece," Giorgio said.

"Oh, it wasn't very hard," Evan replied. Giorgio turned in disbelief to see how hard his partner could bluff. Evan shook his head.

" _J'sais pas_  (Dunno). It would have been me drowning in that tank right now if he was strangling me at full health. But fortunately enough, Volkov was a dying man."

"...What do you mean?" Giorgio asked curiously.

A few beeps from their earpieces interrupted them. Some buzzing noises came in from the other side. Eventually, some coherent words from Aleksandr followed.

"-be...-va...! Major Lebedeva! If you c- ...ar me, -se response ...-ediately! ...Nata-!"

"Sashaー... Lieutenant Sokolov, I'm here. I'm here and the three of us are alright. Maksim, too. We won the fight," Natalya quickly reassured him. They heard a heavy sigh of relief from the other side.

" _Slava bogu_  (Thank God)! You -ave us all a scare! Your men said you w- locked up with Volkov!"

They couldn't help but feel Aleksandr's relief, too. The noise eventually faded off and his voice became clearer.

"Sorry for that. Volkov blocked our signals. We just managed to re-establish it. Some of our men were wounded, but they have taken care of all of the enemy troops who were attacking them. We're all clear," Aleksandr reported.

"How about you? What happened there?" He asked. Natalya looked at Giorgio and Evan for a moment, before replying.

"We discovered the factory's map, but Volkov found and attacked us. There was quite a struggle, although none of us suffered any fatal injuries. As for Volkov, he was killed during the fight..."

"I see... In that case, glad to hear that you're all alright," Aleksandr said. Evan suddenly spoke up.

"Lieutenant Sokolov, if you don't mind, I have a request."

"...? Go ahead, Agent Bernard."

"Volkov. While I was fighting him, he seemed to be suffering from some kind of serious illness. I have the feeling that it had something to do with his motives and this whole mess. Can I ask for an autopsy to be carried out, please?"

"Volkov, with an illness! That's new," Aleksandr exclaimed. "I'll put together a team for that, then. I'll contact you again about it," he said before continuing.

"You mentioned earlier that you found the factory's map? Tell the SOBR team where the control room is and I'll get the doors unlocked for you," he said.

"And tell them where the power generator is while you're at it. We'll take care of things from here. You guys have worked hard and deserve a break. Good job."


	6. Seven Fridays in a week

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You telling me we're going to Russia without visiting the awesome cities? What a waste! OAO  
> I originally intended for everything to take place in the Altai Mountains, but hey, cities and culture...!  
> *proceeds to make adjustments to the plot*

**【Chapter 6: Семь пятниц на неделе】**

_ー Syem pyatnits na nidele. ー_  
_ー Seven Fridays in a week. ー_

_Sandunovsky banya, Moscow, Russia 17:33_

It was Evan's first visit to a banya, a Russian public bath. Despite initially being shy about having to be naked in front of strangers, he was now the most comfortable man in the entire building. Lying blissfully in the massaging area after a session in the sauna and a quick dip in a cold pool, he hummed contentedly as his masseur gave his back, stiff from all the years of hard work, its long-needed relaxation.

The Sandunovsky banya, also known as Sanduny, was the oldest and most famous banya in Russia. First opened in 1808, it had undergone a great reconstruction in the 1890s, turning it from a simple banya into a great palace-like bathhouse, which combined elements of baroque, rococo, gothic, classicism and industrial style into its architecture, resulting in an aesthetically-pleasing and memorable banya experience for anyone who visited it.

For a moment, Evan forgot that they were here in Russia on a business trip and not a holidayーany thoughts of work and their time in the gold mines just a while ago were but distant memories, as far away as the Altai was from Moscow. Out of sight and out of mind.

Despite it being a Wednesday, Giorgio and Evan, having compiled all their reports the previous week, were left with their hands empty as the Russian police continued their investigations. After their run-in with Sergei Volkov, the National Guard had sent in men to cleanly capture the illegal mines and factory, arresting the workers. However, letting things settle down, questioning their captives, and looking for clues took great amounts of time, resulting in some waiting period.

Feeling bad for boring Giorgio and Evan by keeping them on standby for days with nothing to do, Aleksandr had phoned and told them that they might as well go out for refreshments. The Sandunovsky banya in downtown Moscow had been his recommendation and here they were.

"Look at that face," Giorgio said, folding his arms as he stood nearby, having finished with his massage first.

"I certainly wouldn't mind more holiday," Evan purred, definitely enjoying his time off. Giorgio was glad to visit as wellーa good hot sauna being an excellent change from the freezing Russian winter just outside the building.

"Speaking of Sandunovsky, did you know that this banya was a pioneering bathhouse? We're standing in a building that made history," Giorgio said, pondering.

"Tell me stuff," Evan replied, looking up at him as he had caught his attention.

"Well, it was Moscow's first stone bathhouse, and the first to introduce separate male and female baths. The reconstruction that turned it into this gorgeous bath was also considered the most ambitious banya project in Russian history. The newly opened bath then served both the rich and the poor. After that, it survived multiple wars and government changes, continuing to serve as Russia's most famous banya."

Evan's masseur nodded proudly in agreement.

" _Oh là là_ , I can't even begin to imagine what a mixed bath would be like," Evan replied in horror, "But you're certainly right about the construction. I've been looking at the small details since I walked in. The amount of hard work they must have put in amazes me. Beautiful work. Don't you think that this place is a good example of people working to improve things for the better?"

"Definitely."

Just then, Evan finished his massage. His masseur cleaned his back of all the soap and cream that had been used. He felt so light and it was as if he had just been born anew. He thanked the masseur before turning to look at Giorgio.

"Look that way," he told him with a shooing motion of his hand.

Evan was still unsure whether it was more awkward to let strangers see you butt naked or your friend. Strangers? They don't know you and you can forget their entire existence once you've parted ways, but Giorgio? Evan thought that the next time they went on missions together, the fact that they had seen each other naked would distract the hell out of him. Forever.

Understanding Evan's situation, Giorgio turned around, doing his best to hold back a laugh at the awkwardness. Evan got up, grabbed his towel and hurriedly wrapped it around his waist, his eyes trained on Giorgio as if to make sure he didn't suddenly turn around.

* * *

_Sandunovsky banya restaurant 18:09_

Sometime later, Giorgio and Evan were comfortably seated in Sandunovsky's restaurant, neatly dressed in semi-formal attires. The restaurant itself was well furnished and comfortable, maintaining the high quality and service of the rest of the bathhouse.

Having had a pleasant time at the bath, Evan was excited to try the food. Aleksandr and Natalya had also said that they would be joining them there shortly.

"So, this will be the first time we meet Lieutenant Sokolov in person, huh?" Evan mused.

"He was amiable whenever we talked to him, so we should get along," Giorgio said.

Soon enough, they spotted Natalya within a crowd entering the restaurant, dressed in a charming lavender dress with a low cut that revealed her cleavageーsexy but without being too overt. She looked around trying to spot them, so Evan raised a hand and waved enthusiastically, happy to see the young lady again after separating for half a week. Giorgio smiled as well.

Natalya spotted them, her face lighting up. She struggled a little through the crowd at the entrance to make her way towards them. But when she finally made it out of the group of people, Giorgio and Evan were surprised to see her pushing a wheelchair with Aleksandr on it. Their expressions darkened a little as they wondered what had happened to him. Natalya arrived at their table.

" _Zdravstvuite_  (Hello), Agent Bruno, Agent Bernard. Sorry to have kept you waiting!" Natalya greeted them cheerfully. Aleksandr greeted them warmly as well. Giorgio hurriedly helped Natalya move the chair next to him to make space for Aleksandr's wheelchair. Evan stood up and watched with concern.

"What happened?" Evan asked once the four of them had taken a seat and settled down.

"This? Well..." Aleksandr trailed off. Natalya answered for him.

"Lieutenant Sokolov was part of the police team that had been sent to investigate our current case before we turned to the VSSE for aid. He was the only one who survived after Volkov ambushed them, but the fight caused permanent damage to his legs..." she said sadly.

"Had to watch him kill my captain and comrades. Wasn't pretty. You can imagine how scared I was when I heard that Volkov attacked you in the factory," Aleksandr continued, his eyes distant as he recalled the tragic events that had befallen him.

"...Sorry," Evan said solemnly, regretting he'd asked. Giorgio nodded in agreement.

"Oh, don't be!" Aleksandr smiled. "That mission helped us discover Volkov's involvement and his hidden base. After that, all of you used that intel well to defeat him and capture the mines, so we've been rightfully avenged. Thank you."

He leaned back, relaxing a little.

"I may have been removed from field work, but my new job after being transferred to the Criminal Investigations Department isn't half bad. Everyone's very supportive and I'm proud to be able to continue working to serve my country. I'm looking forward to continuing to help you from here."

Natalya, Evan and Giorgio smiled at him, relieved at the reassurance. Aleksandr spoke up to lighten the mood.

"Anyway, I bet you're all starving. Let's order our dinner! You should also tell me about your banya adventure," he said curiously.

"Well, we found it to be very impressive. Thanks for the recommendation," Giorgio said, before looking at Evan.

"And Evan was certainly enjoying it more than any other visitor. He even got to use me as a practice target to learn how to use a  _venik_  (bath broom)."

"Hey, I did awesome at it. Praise me!" Evan demanded with a laugh.

"To be honest, I wasn't sure whether you were trying to massage me or trying to flog a lazy horse," Giorgio replied.

Everyone laughed together in good humor.

* * *

The food that they had ordered eventually came to their table.

The restaurant offered a variety of the best dishes and beverages of Russian cuisine, from nastoyka to vareniki. Food was an excellent way to experience culture, so Aleksandr had made sure to order various dishes to be shared.

"I think I can eat this whether or not I'm hungry. They're perfect!" Evan commented, reaching out for another vareniki.

"Amazing dumplings, aren't they? You should come to my place and try out the homemade ones too if you get the chance. We put in all the vegetables we love with the quantities we like," Aleksandr laughed.

"And you'd probably love the pelmeni as well. While the vareniki is usually vegetarian, pelmeni are meat dumplings. Give it a shot when you see one," he added.

"Oh, please be my tour guide, Lieutenant Sokolov!" Evan grinned, and then looked at Natalya.

"Or maybe Major Lebedeva can do it for me? I certainly wouldn't mind being shown around by a lovely lady," he joked, flirting lightly.

"Oh you, Agent Bernard! Why not? But maybe without the flirting," Natalya laughed.

"But  _mademoiselle_ , I'm just telling the truth!" Evan teased, grinning playfully. Aleksandr cleared his throat.

"Well, anyway!" He interjected, gathering the table's attention, "We have a few things to report about our current progress. With the information we have so far, we might be having an urgent case, so Lebedeva and I have been reluctantly whipping our men around for some quick results. They totally deserve a break once this is all over."

"Did you find anything new?" Giorgio asked. Aleksandr lowered his voice a little as he answered quietly. Everyone leaned in to listen.

"Yes. Since the man wasn't there to defend it anymore, we captured Volkov's base as well. Found several clues and some disquieting information in it after we did some digging. I won't mention them here since this is a public space, but I'll send you the reports later and we'll discuss them tomorrow."

"New informationーthat's good news!" Evan said. "What about Volkov's autopsy, though? The whole process can normally take up to three weeks, right? I imagine the cyanide contamination would have messed things up and made it even longer."

"That it did," Aleksandr answered, "But seeing how urgent this is, I managed to put together a team consisting of only our best experts. They gave it their all and pulled overtime. They said that they can finish everything by tonight. We'll discuss their findings in the morning."

"Magic!" Evan exclaimed, greatly impressed.

"We couldn't have done all this without you," Aleksandr thanked them.

"Now that the business talk's out of the way, let's enjoy our dinner, shall we? To successfully completing this mission," he said, raising his glass of nastoyka.

"To completing this mission!" Everyone replied.

A toast, and the night was spent making pleasant small talk with an optimistic view towards the future.


	7. In a quiet lagoon, devils dwell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Totally love the weekends because I can write multiple chapters in one day XD  
> Let's keep going!

  **【Chapter 7: В тихом омуте черти водятся】**

 _ー V tihom omute cherti vodyatsa. ー_  
_ー In a quiet lagoon, devils dwell. ー_

_The next day, Red Square, Moscow 7:53_

It was a bright winter morning in the Red Square of Moscow. Despite the cold, the wide streets were bustling with cheerful tourists from all over the world, having come for their winter holidays. The Red Square was, after all, the central square of Moscow and the best place to start when visiting the city. Coupled with the fact that it was surrounded by historical buildings on all sides, it had always been a popular tourist destination.

Giorgio and Evan, whose hotel was situated right next to the square, were passing through the area as they made their way towards the metro. Their meeting with Aleksandr and Natalya at the Politsiya headquarters was scheduled to start at nine, about an hour later. They had left their hotel early so they could take their time without having to rush. Walking next to Giorgio, Evan lightly spun around once, taking in his surroundings.

"Look at how wide this place is!" Evan exclaimed, his excitement barely diminishing although he had walked through the site a few times in the past few days. "Saint Basil's Cathedral, Kremlin and the GUM Department Store all visible from one spot!"

"Finally researched about them last night, did you? Good," Giorgio said, amused. "Here's one for you. The Red Square's considered Moscow's central square as all the major streets originate from here. That, and its colour is actually blue while the shape's a rectangle."

Evan laughed, recalling how he had certainly heard some locals call the square the 'Blue Rectangle' in some online videos during his research. He certainly enjoyed sticking with Giorgio, who was very well-read and knowledgeable. He had always been a source of interesting tidbits about the world around them.

The two of them were just about to carry on towards the metro when they saw a crying little boy, probably about ten years of age. Upon seeing how all the passersby either didn't care about him or just gave him worried glances without doing anything, Evan's big brother mode kicked in.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" He asked gently, quickly approaching the boy and kneeling down in front of him.

The boy was sobbing intensely, eyes and cheeks red. He had probably been crying for hours. Evan felt sorry for him. The boy, however, answered him in Russian, and Evan remembered that a lot of the people here didn't speak English. Giorgio, standing next to him, looked equally perplexed. Either way, Evan decided to try and communicate.

"Look, I'll try to get someone to talk to you, alright? Everything will be okay," Evan said as gently as he could with a smile, holding the boy's shoulders reassuringly and hoping that his tone and gestures would get his point across.

Luckily, he seemed to have succeeded. The boy nodded a little nervously, rubbing his tears away.

"Good boy," Evan said with a grin, ruffling the boy's hair in a friendly manner.

"Perhaps he was separated from his parents, or is just lost in general, seeing how wide this place is," Giorgio guessed, noting how the boy was all alone and carrying nothing.

"A police station would probably be a good place to go to. They can't turn down a citizen in need. See one around?" he suggested, twisting a little and searching the horizon.

"You're probably right," Evan agreed, standing up and looking around worriedly as well.

It was at that moment that he felt the feather-light, almost unnoticeable slip of his beloved wallet exiting his pocket.

" _Quoi_  (What)?!"

Evan saw a different boy taking off at lightning speed. A split second after that, Giorgio felt well-trained little hands, agile and dextrous as a monkey, snatch his own wallet. It was the boy who had been crying miserably earlier, grinning triumphantly as he took off with Giorgio's wallet and his partner in crime.

" _PUTAIN!_  Stop!" Evan yelled angrily, immediately running after the boys. Giorgio followed closely behind, equally furious.

The boys, having pickpocketed many times before, knew that they couldn't outrun the adults, so they dashed into the crowds of tourists at the square, using them to slow their pursuers down. Evan fought back the urge to shout a stream of curses. Giorgio saw the boys run into the arches of the crowded GUM Department Store.

"This way!" Giorgio called out to Evan.

Pulling back out of the crowd, they ran to the side, looking to enter the GUM stores from a less crowded point of entry.

Meanwhile, the boys, not seeing Giorgio and Evan behind them, thought that they had gotten away scot-free. They slowed down as they arrived at one of the quieter corners of the stores, where nobody passed by. Catching their breaths and hiding behind a turn, they peeked to see if they were still being followed.

Once they saw that all was clear, they cheered excitedly and thanked each other for yet another success, with faces of angels but hearts of devils. They turned and were just about to walk away when Giorgio suddenly appeared down the corridor.

"Looks like your luck's run out, boys," he said, unimpressed by their misconduct.

The boys, aghast, turned around to run away, but immediately stopped when they saw Evan blocking their path on the other side, cracking his knuckles in irritation.

"Seeing how well-coordinated you are, it looks like you've been at this for a while," he said sternly. "Can't let you grow up rotting into wanted criminals, so I guess we're taking you to the police station, and calling your parents for some disciplining."

The boys, despite having no idea what Giorgio and Evan were saying, could very well feel their seething anger, and knew that it wouldn't end well for them. Bursting into tears, they made a last-ditch attempt to run past Evan, who only caught them too easily by the scruffs of their necks.

"At least apologize and return our wallets!" Evan said, sighing in exasperation. Giorgio walked up to him, taking back their stolen wallets from the little rascals, who only continued to cry.

"So what now? I feel like I'm the bully," Evan said dejectedly, still holding onto the children. "I mean, we got our wallets back. Maybe we should just warn them and let them go this time...?"

"No. Mistakes are best corrected early. This is also for their sake and hopefully, they'll learn something from it," Giorgio said. Evan looked at the boys, still somewhat unsure.

"If you're worried about them, I'll step in to make sure that the police and their parents aren't too harsh," Giorgio assured. Evan smiled at him.

"Thanks."

" _Prastite!_ "

They were just about to leave when they heard someone suddenly call out to them. They turned around.

A neatly dressed man was running hurriedly towards them, shouting quickly in Russian. Everything on him from his hat to his scarf, double-breasted long coat, gold watch and shoes screamed expensive. His dark hair, neatly gelled back, gave him a slick, businesslike look.

Two towering men in black suits and sunglasses with notably expressionless faces followed behind him faithfully. They were possibly personal bodyguards of sorts. As they came closer, Giorgio and Evan noticed that they looked strikingly similar, most likely identical twins.

The arriving men brought with them three crying boys, who caused the faces of the kids in Evan's custody to twist in horror. They seemed to have recognized the three boys. More partners in crime? The rich-looking man stopped in front of them.

" _Zdravstvuite. Smirnov, Dorofei Petrovich. Rat teebya videt',_ " he said quickly to them. Giorgio and Evan stared at him, then looked at each other, barely catching a single word.

" _Euh_... Sorry?" Evan asked, lifting an eyebrow. Noticing how lost the two looked, the man realized that they probably didn't speak his language.

"Ah! Forgive me for that. I'm Dorofei Smirnov. Pleased to make your acquaintance," he said in perfect English with a friendly smile, making use of language skills he had most likely developed for his international business. Being able to communicate gave Giorgio and Evan some relief.

"Giovanni Bardi and Jean Romée. Pleased to meet you, too!" Evan replied, introducing Giorgio and himself with their aliases to keep their identities secret. Giorgio nodded, before looking towards the crying boys Dorofei had in tow.

"What happened?"

"Well," Dorofei began, "I heard that there have been some pickpocketing incidents around here lately. To think that the culprits are little boys! My bodyguards caught them when they were trying to pickpocket us."

"Oh! The same thing happened to us here. How many of them are there?" Evan asked, somewhat annoyed that they were numerous.

"According to the boys I caught, five of them in total, all brothers. They said that they were supposed to meet up around here after today's 'job'," Dorofei explained, before looking at the boys Evan was holding.

"I see that you have the remaining two. If you don't mind handing them over, I have some business with them. You probably can't speak with them in Russian, so I'll take care of things from here," he said, voice and expression becoming serious.

The boys gulped nervously. Evan looked at Giorgio. Giorgio himself didn't look like he knew what to do either, so Evan turned back to Dorofei.

"Okay..." Evan said cautiously, slowly letting go of the boys. In his mind, he was ready to take action if Dorofei decided to do anything that might harm the children.

The boys, afraid that trying to run away would just worsen the situation, decided to be docile and obedient, quietly walking over to Dorofei. Dorofei gathered all five of them in front of him and then, with much strictness, proceeded to scold them severely in Russian.

Evan cringed, not envying the boys' position in the slightest. Giorgio took a step back nervously, looking away from the intense onslaught. Just when they were thinking of stepping in to ask Dorofei to forgive the boys, a sudden change came.

Dorofei addressed the children gently, with the love of a father. The boys stopped crying, now looking up at him and nodding calmly as they listened. Once his talk had finished, they all hugged him, thanking him profusely. Dorofei laughed and hugged them back, patting their backs compassionately.

Despite having no idea what had been said, Giorgio sighed in relief and Evan smiled, believing that everything had ended well. The five children then went off with one of Dorofei's bodyguards, happily waving at Dorofei, who waved back at them with equal enthusiasm.

"So, what did you say to them?" Evan asked, grinning.

"You see, they seem to be orphans," Dorofei stated, looking up and pondering. "Troubled family, divorced parents... Their mother whom they were left with soon committed suicide. They were suddenly left to fend for themselves in the streets, so they turned to pickpocketing the tourists. Despair truly drives men to do such unthinkable acts, doesn't it?"

Dorofei had a distant look in his eyes, as if a lot of things were running through his mind. Giorgio and Evan listened silently, wondering how their morning commute had led to a run-in with such a hairy situation. Dorofei turned to them.

"Since I was in a position to act, I simply scolded them and told them that it's never too late to change. They can be so much more in future if they'd direct their courage and resilience in the right direction," he said.

"They understood and agreed to stop pickpocketing, so I told my bodyguard to get them into a proper orphanage and see to it that they're treated and educated well."

Hearing the news, Evan's eyes lit up, full of wonder. Seeing Dorofei's appearance, he certainly looked like he had the money and influence to pull off everything he said.

"You're such an angel! Are you for real?!" Asked Evan in amazement.

"Always eager to put in everything I have if it means bettering society," Dorofei said with a smile.

"Oh, listen! We have such similar outlooks! Glad to be able to meet you, Mr. Smirnov. You've given me some hope in humanity," Evan laughed and they shook hands excitedly. Giorgio watched them with amusement. Dorofei then looked at his watch.

"Oh, look at the time! I need to attend a business meeting, so I'll be going," he said, tidying his coat and hat. "How about you, gentlemen? Not on your way somewhere?"

Evan bit back a curse that almost escaped his lips as he plunged a hand into his pocket for his phone. Before he could pull it out to check the time, the Kremlin Clock in the Red Square chimed twice, confirming the time for him. 8:30.

" _Tonton!_  We're dead meat!" Evan exclaimed in horror.

"Guess it's time to run," Giorgio replied a little nervously.

"See you, Mr. Smirnov! Hope your meeting and business go well," Evan wished him.

"You, too! Hope we can meet again in future if the chance ever presents itself," Dorofei replied, and they went separate ways.

* * *

_Politsiya Headquarters, Moscow 8:59_

Giorgio and Evan sat waiting in their designated meeting room, breathing ragged, tired from all the running. Adding to that, it was a Thursday and they had caught the train at the metro during rush hour, causing the ride to be congested, crushing and hotーeverything far from comfortable. Even so, they felt quite pleased that they had managed to make it just in time.

Evan thirstily gulped down more of the water that they had been offered. Giorgio patted him on the back to help him calm down. Soon enough, Natalya and Aleksandr arrived, bringing with them thick folders, papers and a laptop. Giorgio and Evan stood up to greet them, before taking a seat again to begin the meeting.

"Yes. Gentlemen, I sent you some reports last night, so I'm sure you've read them," Aleksandr began. "They're just brief summaries, though. So I'll give you a recap right now along with all the details."

Giorgio and Evan nodded. Aleksandr proceeded to take out papers and photos from his folder. Natalya helped him lay them out on the table. Giorgio and Evan leaned in to look.

"These are photos of the interior of Volkov's base, as well as of any objects of interest that we've found there," Aleksandr said.

"This one's their stash of illegally produced weapons and ammunition in the basement. And this one, exactly as Agent Bernard had mentioned last week, androids."

Giorgio studied the photo carefully, seeing it for the first time. The room was full of computers and cables. Four androids with perfect human-like forms laid seated against a wall, as Evan had said, like broken dolls. Whether or not they were functional, their design and production certainly didn't look cheap.

What he found puzzling though, was that the androids weren't made with the build of a full-grown man. Compared to the rest of the room, they were rather small. Giorgio guessed that they were probably only the height of children who would barely reach his chest. Despite looking similar, they were all slightly different. He imagined that Evan, being in a hurry to obtain intel during his visit, coupled with the bad lighting of the room, must have missed those details.

"Did you manage to retrieve the blueprints I saw as well?" Evan asked.

"Yes! Here they are," Aleksandr said, pulling out two huge folded pieces of paper from his folder. He spread them open on the desk for all to see.

"To our surprise, there are actually two very different blueprints," he said. "One's of a hi-tech battle android, codenamed 'Blacksmith'. It has weapons built in, much as we had feared. We have not been able to find any of them in Volkov's base, though. They were probably being made and kept in another place. As for the other one..."

Aleksandr pulled the other blueprint over. "An android the size of a child. This seems to be a blueprint of the androids in the photo. They don't seem to have any weapons on them though, seemingly made only to function and mimic human movements."

Aleksandr leaned back and looked at Giorgio and Evan. "We actually took them apart to look for clues. But there was no software or AI installed in them, so we have no idea what their actual purpose is. We're guessing that they were probably made to be technical assistants, unless Volkov's boss is into something sick."

Evan grimaced. Giorgio pulled the blueprint towards himself and studied it. He looked at the bottom-right corner of the paper, spotting a few words in Russian which had been written in bold, seemingly with great fervor.

"What do the words here mean?" He asked.

"..." Aleksandr paused for a moment, his expression turning grave as he answered.

_"We are our own Gods. Without torture, there is no science."_

"The latter is a Russian proverb. It means that to gain wisdom, you must endure adversity. To gain something, something else must be sacrificed," he translated and explained.

"Sounds like a nice proverb to learn from," Evan mused, "But if it's them saying it, I imagine that they can't possibly be up to anything good."

"That would be it about the androids at Volkov's base. Next, let's see Volkov's autopsy," Aleksandr continued. Taking the cue, Natalya nodded and took out papers and photos from her folder, lining them up on the desk.

"This is Volkov's autopsy report," she said, pointing it out, "Volkov seems to have been a chronic heavy drinker. According to our medical examiners, he suffered from alcohol poisoning and was on his way to developing a severe case of cirrhosis. His liver was practically falling apart."

She looked up at Giorgio and Evan. "You probably didn't see any of the symptoms since he was all covered up by his thick jacket, but our examiners predicted that if he had gone on with no proper treatment, he would have had only a few months left to live."

Evan gritted his teeth in distress, remembering his fight with the man. "They predicted it accurately, alright. Man's breath smelt like alcohol when I wrestled him."

And then memories of the fight, along with Sergei's cryptic words, came back and struck him.

"Wait...! Volkov's confidence didn't look like that of a man who knew that he was about to die. Instead, he mentioned something about being close to overcoming the fragility of human bodies. Do you think that whatever science they're doing had something to do with that?" He quickly suggested. Natalya and Aleksandr exchanged puzzled glances.

"We'll continue the investigation with that possibility in mind," Aleksandr replied, quickly pulling out a notepad and jotting down the new information. He put it away afterwards and opened his laptop.

"In the meantime, I've extracted more files from the computers at Volkov's base. With new data, we were able to decode and unlock one of the three transmission files that Agent Bernard retrieved for us at the start of this mission."

"You were?! What's in it?" Evan asked eagerly.

"Direct communications between Volkov and his boss. Volkov seems to have always obtained his weapons and supplies from him, operating under his direct orders. He was also behind the construction of the gold mine and factory. A little more cracking and digging fortunately allowed us to discover his identity," Aleksandr said, typing away and opening folders.

Giorgio and Evan's eyes widened in surprise. Were they that close to completing the mission?

"Tell us," Giorgio said.

"Surprisingly, he doesn't have any criminal record, being one of Moscow's top investors and a millionaire. He's even seen by many as a benevolent fatherly figure and a charitable man," Aleksandr said. He turned his laptop around to let Giorgio and Evan see the man's photograph and profile, much to their shock.

_"Dorofei Petrovich Smirnov."_


	8. Without some work, you won’t pull a fish out of a pond

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a while because I was writing my other fic (Time Crisis: Retribution) alongside this, but here you go!
> 
> Side Note: This story probably happens in 2011~2012? So the Federation Tower East that appears in this chapter wasn't completed yet. (It was completed in 2017. Recent! ;D -uses landmarks like anything to make Russia feel like Russia- Nope, I've never been there, but YouTube is awesome to let you feel the atmosphere~)
> 
> Side Note 2: The names I've picked for Giorgio and Evan's aliases (Giovanni Bardi and Jean Romée) aren't random. I'll tell you about them in the last chapter of this fic. Look out for it!

**【Chapter 8: Без труда не вытащишь и рыбку из пруда】**

_ー Bez truda, ne vytashish i rybku iz pruda. ー_  
_ー Without some work, you won't pull a fish out of a pond. ー_

_Two days later, Federation Tower West, Moscow International Business Centre 17:53_

Evan stood a little nervously in the grand hall of the famous, 62 stories high skyscraper of Moscow's commercial district, handsomely dressed in an expensive white suit. Other guests with equally, if not more expensive, clothes and jewelry stood around him, shaking hands, starting small talk, and trading business cards, fully enjoying themselves and looking forward to what the night had to offer.

The guests seemed to have come from all over the world, a lot of them speaking in English, everyone talking about money, businesses and the stock market to the point of being overwhelming. Evan took a glass of white wine from a passing waiter, thanking him and sipping a little of it to calm down, evaluating his surroundings.

The hall had been rented for a business dinner party by none other than their next targetーthe successful investor and millionaire Dorofei Petrovich Smirnov, who seemed to be the mastermind behind the illegal weapons trade despite his benevolent nature. Evan wondered if the kindness he saw at the Red Square was all just a big lieーa façade the man had put up to hide away from the law.

Upon learning Dorofei's identity, Aleksandr had immediately suggested arresting the man. But Giorgio, as analytical as ever, thought that it was a bad idea. There were still a lot of things they were in the dark about, such as the androids. Immediately putting Dorofei in the interrogation room would instead shut the man up and lead to a dead end.

"So how do you suppose we get him to talk?" Aleksandr had asked.

"Can't do that without some work, but that's what we secret agents are here for," Giorgio had replied proudly.

Upon further investigation, they found that Dorefei, always on the lookout for opportunities like all good investors, loved to expand his contacts, thus the parties where he'd often invite strangers. Giorgio saw it as a good chance to get on the man's good side and make him spill the beans naturally. At their request, the VSSE had quickly supplied them with all the clothing and fake documents that they needed in order to participate in one such event.

Thus Evan was standing here, mingling with Dorofei's crowd, except that tonight he wasn't Evan BernardーHe was Jean Romée, a successful real estate agent. They had tailored his identity well to fit his knowledge of construction and buildings so he could assume his persona perfectly.

He looked at his watch. Around 5 minutes until the party started.

"Mr. Romée."

Evan felt his arm being tapped. He looked behind him and Natalya was standing there, an elegant light purple backless evening dress wrapped around her slim body. Her long hair had been braided and coiled into a neat bun. Little pearl accessories bordered by gold gave an expensive but sweet touch to her overall appearance.

"Mademoiselle Lebedeva!" Evan said breathlessly with pure surprise, "You look gorgeous!"

" _Tsss!_ " Natalya shushed him, giggling and putting a finger to his lips. "Ms. Sofia Ivanovna Solovieva. Journalist and advertiser," she said, motioning to herself.

"Oh... Nice name," Evan said, grinning, before suddenly frowning seriously and speaking in a hushed voice. "This is a potentially dangerous mission. Why are you here?"

"Can't let the VSSE do everything for us. Although it's a last-minute decision from the politsiya, please allow me to help," Natalya explained.

"I see." Evan nodded. "Well, that will certainly be convenient when communicating with the local guests..."

Having worked with Natalya for awhile, he was reminded of the fact that she could very well take care of herself. Doubts gone, he decided to talk to her professionally.

"I appreciate the help. Thanks!"

Natalya smiled back, before looking around. "Speaking of which, where's Mr. Bardi?"

"Just right there, preparing himself till the last second." Evan motioned proudly towards Giorgio, who was sitting on a nearby chair with his phone, speed-reading as many articles as he could.

"I may be the master of casual talk," Evan said, "But business talk and anything requiring a lot of knowledge? You can leave it to him!"

Giorgio's cover identity was normally a Milanese chef, but being well-informed about a lot of things, as well as being a quick learner, he was never limited to only one profession whenever he had to put up an act. As a result, the VSSE loved to put him in infiltration missions. This time, they wanted intel on Dorofei's androids, so he read up on as many things on the development of robotics and technology as he could. Tonight, he was Giovanni Bardi, a mechanical engineer.

The clock struck six and the party officially began. Giorgio and Evan could see Dorofei, his twin bodyguards faithfully standing nearby, stepping onto the stage to give an opening speech. The guests applauded.

" _Dabro pazhalavat_ , welcome ladies and gentlemen!" He spoke with charisma, an amicable smile on his face, "First, I'd like to thank you for coming here this Saturday evening. Among us are many famous investors and businessmen alike, many of whom work not only for self-benefit, but also know that they have the power to change the world for the better, one step at a time. I applaud you for holding onto those ambitions."

The guests nodded as they listened. Dorofei raised the glass of vodka that he was holding.

"May tonight's party bring you new connections, open new doors, and help us all shape better futures for ourselves and everyone around us. A toast."

Everyone cheered, raising their glass and toasting amongst themselves.

Deliciously prepared cuisines were brought out then, placed along a long table as a buffet. They looked and smelt endlessly delightful, but Evan knew that there was work to be done, so he held back his appetite. Natalya patted him on the shoulder.

"You guys go and talk to Dorofei. I'll look around and see if I can figure out anything else from the other guests here," she said quietly. Giorgio and Evan nodded.

"Be counting on you for that," Giorgio said. She nodded and walked away. Giorgio turned to look at Dorofei.

"Let's do this."

* * *

Dorofei was standing near the hall's great windows with a huge crowd, speaking in at least three or four different languages. Giorgio and Evan had made a beeline straight for him, but the crowd he was talking to and shaking hands with had taken some time to thin down. Popular, he was. They wondered how he managed to keep up talking to so many people about various subjects all at once. Seeing their chance once he was finally left alone, they walked up to him.

"Oh! Mr. Bardi, Mr. Romée!" Dorofei exclaimed as he noticed them.

"What a pleasant surprise! I saw your names on the guest list earlier and had been looking forward to meeting you!" He said, shaking their hands gleefully.

"Same to you! We found out that you were holding a party here. What a pleasure!" Evan laughed, "After what you did for us at the Red Square, we just had to come. Besides, Giovanni here thinks that he can find some new opportunities for his job."

Giorgio nodded, offering Dorofei his name card. Dorofei traded his own and received Giorgio's card politely. His eyes lit up as he saw what was written on it.

"Mechanical engineer!"

"Yes." Giorgio smiled. "Mainly dabbling in robotics. My country Italy's been progressing greatly in its robotics technology as of lateーenough that it would show up on top 10 lists if you look it up online," he said, chuckling proudly. "I worked with some of Italy's bigger companies. After being in the industry for awhile, I was wondering if working in Russia would further me in my career."

"Oh, Mr. Bardi! Coming all the way here to pursue your goals. Admirable!" Dorofei commended him. "But why Russia? I know that the Motherland is lovely, but if you really want to pursue robotics, I'd say South Korea, or maybe Japan.  _They_  are the most advanced with this, after all," he said curiously.

Evan looked at Giorgio, nervous that he wouldn't be able to answer the question. To him, it had begun to sound like a job interview, in which one small slip would topple the entire house of cards, and Dorofei might as well label them fools and close his doors. Luckily, Giorgio seemed to still have an ace up his sleeve, not even breaking a sweat.

"Come, Mr. Smirnov! You're being too humble," Giorgio laughed, "You forget that Russia was the first to have started space programs, and remains one of the leading countries in space technology even today." He then continued more seriously.

"I believe that to truly be good at something, one must not dig continuously in the same hole. I'm looking to combine the knowledge of both fields and who knows, perhaps one day I will invent some robots that will allow humans to live on other planets," he continued, sharing his vision.

By that point, Evan couldn't tell whether he or Dorofei was more moved by Giorgio's words.

"That's... such a great dream. Haven't heard something as ambitious as that for awhile. I'm touched," Dorofei spoke up, inspired.

"Well, as Jean said during our last meeting, all three of us have strong visions about improving society. If we could partner up one way or another, I think that it would result in something beautiful," Giorgio suggested, quietly beginning to play his cards.

"You know, that sounds good," Dorofei agreed. He pondered the suggestion for a while, judging, looking steps ahead at all the effects that the partnership might bring about in future.

He turned and looked outside the window. Another building, Vostok, the Federation Tower East, could be seen under construction next to them outside. It was planned to be a skyscraper almost double the height of the Zapad, or Tower West, that they were currently standing in upon its completion. Vostok would then be the tallest completed skyscraper in Europe and Russia.

Dorofei smiled as he observed how the building had slowly come to surpass Zapad's height after five years of relentless work, the project continuing even after being threatened once by the Great Recession.

"I always find it interesting how humanity always dreams and struggles to reach new heights. Passion, big dreams, combined with a small but sure step at a time. You, Mr. Bardi, seem to understand that," he said with a smile. There was a somewhat ethereal air around him as he spoke. He turned back to Giorgio, earnest. The kind smile and friendliness that he always had had disappeared.

"I might not look like it, but I do have a great interest in robotics. Considering I could use someone with your profession, I might just make you a special offer. Tell me, how far would you go to fulfill your goals?"

This was it. Giorgio was making great progress in getting close to the man, so he continued to answer.

"Well, of course, as much hard work as it takes," Giorgio said. He looked at Dorofei, who remained quiet and alert, as if waiting for him to elaborate. An awkward silence ensued.

"Yes, Mr. Bardi, how much is 'as much hard work' for you?" Dorofei asked. His face was even more serious now. He was a judge waiting to give his final verdict, hammer already hovering over his desk.

Evan fidgeted uncomfortably, feeling the man's sharp scrutiny. Giorgio felt as though if he gave the wrong answer, that would be the end of the deal, and Dorofei would walk away, becoming indefinitely unreachable.

But how should he answer? As his mind scrambled for the most sensible phrases, the boldly written words he saw on the android blueprints at the politsiya headquarters came back to him.

_'Without torture, there is no science.'_

Giorgio regained his composure and courage the moment the right card struck him, so he answered Dorofei without hesitation, letting a burning passion fill his words.

"I'd kill if it meant that the world would progress as a whole. We all need to make sacrifices sometimes, don't we?"

Silence. Dorofei said nothing, staring intently at him. Giorgio was worried that he had overdone it, but he forced himself to keep an unflinching gaze. Evan wondered if Giorgio had gone mad, but he trusted him, so he mentally crossed his fingers and decided to add his two cents' worth.

"It happens all the time when great changes come about. We keep an eye out for the greater good. The world is suffering at the moment, so if you're confident that your offer can improve things, Mr. Smirnov, our aid is yours," Evan said with a sly grin, supporting Giorgio by keeping up the bluff.

Dorofei stared at them incredulously for a moment, but soon enough, he laughedーa devilish laugh that Giorgio and Evan would never have imagined could come from such a man.

"Well put, Mr. Bardi, Mr. Romée! Well put. How glad I am to find openminded people standing on equal ground with similar mindsets tonight. This must be a destined meeting!" he exclaimed, truly delighted.

"I look forward to doing business with you."


	9. Mangle the firewood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm certainly having fun researching about Russia as I write. Loving everything 3 times more than I did when I first started writing Chapter 1! XD  
> A friend said that the more languages and cultures you learn, the more things you will love. How true~  
> Anyways, this time we'll have a surprise guest. Enjoy!

**【Chapter 9: наломать дров】**

_ー Nalomat' drov. ー_  
_ー Mangle the firewood. ー_

_The Red Arrow, Moscow–Saint Petersburg Railway 1:12_

There were three main ways to travel from Moscow to Saint Petersburgーby plane, by train or by bus. But as airports were far away from city centers, and because bus rides tended to be long and uncomfortable, trains had become the most popular and recommended way of transport. Such was Dorofei's explanation to Giorgio and Evan.

"I've checked your documents. Your skills will be a blessing to have," Dorofei had said. "My main research facility's located near Saint Petersburg. I was just planning to go and see how it's doing myself. Why don't you come to the city when you're ready for work? I'm sure you'll be amazed by what I have to show you!"

So Giorgio and Evan had agreed. Dorofei had kindly bought them their tickets as welcome gifts. One train they could ride was the high-speed train, the Sapsan, which would take only four hours of travel. But Dorofei's recommendation had been the Red Arrow, an overnight sleeper train with an eight-hour journey, departing from Moscow at midnight. This chance to ride Russia's most popular train was not to be missed!

Following that, after reporting to Aleksandr and Natalya about their progress, Giorgio and Evan had packed up immediately, boarding the Red Arrow the next night after the party at the Federation Towers.

An hour after the red train had left Moscow behind, the two were nicely settled down in their VIP car. It was a charming ride. The deep red of the seat and curtains accentuated the luxury of the Red Arrowーthe train which had carried elites since Soviet times. Their private compartment was quite spacious, containing sleeping berths, a table with refreshments, a television and a bathroom. To further increase the comfort, the car had a low noise level and a well-maintained ventilation system.

Evan sat next to the window, browsing through the travel brochures of Saint Petersburg that he had hurriedly swept up at Moscow's station upon departure. Giorgio, on the other hand, was busy with his final preparations. After making sure that a hidden camera, which he would later attach to the front pocket of his shirt, was working, he proceeded to contact a friend for aid.

"The boss owes me a free dinner for this surprise mission. I was having my winter holiday!" The voice of Agent Wesley Lambert of the VSSE could be heard complaining over Giorgio's phone.

"Guess there's no telling when you're required to save the world. Sorry for contacting you at the last second," Giorgio laughed. A sigh came from the other side.

"I guess it can't be helped, then. Count me in," Wesley said eagerly, successfully switching back to his optimistic work mode.

Wesley and Giorgio had grown to be close friends over the years, both agents being sophisticated individuals with a love for intelligent discussions. Wesley himself was one of the VSSE's smartest, holding a doctoral degree in engineeringーthe perfect person Giorgio could turn to in order to pretend to be an engineer while knowing next to nothing about the field.

Wesley agreed to provide support during their infiltration. With the plans made, Giorgio finished the call, tidying his things to rest for the night. Evan watched him, leaning back.

"I want to talk with Alan..." he said wistfully, thinking of Wesley's partner agent, who got along with him so easily due to their similarly playful nature and bright personalities.

"You can talk with him as much as you want when we get back. Just a little bit more before this mission's over," Giorgio assured him as he placed the last of his things back into his bag.

"Guess that's something to look forward to." Evan grinned. "So what plan did you and Wes come up with?"

"I give him a live feed and he tells me things that I don't know, so we can pretend that I'm a genius," Giorgio said lazily, shuffling into a relaxed position on his seat, "It would have been enough to just locate Smirnov's research facility, but infiltrating further to see what he's really up to would be great."

"Find out as much as possible and get out quickly. Okay," Evan confirmed. They had done the same at Sergei Volkov's base a while ago and made surprising discoveries. There was no telling what Dorofei might be hiding.

"Natalya did say that she managed to get the contact details of one of Dorofei's close friends at the partyーA doctor," Evan continued. "Volkov was sick. I wonder if Dorofei's sick, too. What's the rich man doing with a doctor?"

"Who knows." Giorgio shrugged. "Natalya's investigating him, so let's hope it yields something." He stood up and stretched, then opened and tidied his sleeping berth to get ready for bed. "By the way, how's your arm?"

Evan was reminded of his wounded left arm. It had been just a flesh wound, so it was recovering quite well. He swung his arm a little to test it.

"I don't think I can strain it much yet, but if it's just to support my aim, I should manage," he said. "If we have to split up, I can protect myself."

Giorgio wasn't really happy with the notion of having to split up, considering that it was the cause of Evan's wound in the first place. But they were so close and it was only the two of them searching a wide place. He studied Evan, who looked fearless as ever despite what happened.

"Just don't push yourself too hard. Retreat when you have to," Giorgio said, climbing into his berth. "Let's rest for now. Long day tomorrow."

Evan smiled, glad that Giorgio had decided to trust him.

"Good night."

* * *

_Secret research facility, unknown island 9:44_

The Red Arrow had arrived at Saint Petersburg as scheduled approximately an hour and a half ago. One of Dorofei's employees had been there to pick Giorgio and Evan up. They had then been escorted to a private helicopter, immediately flying towards a secret research facility located on an unknown island off the coast of Saint Petersburg, passing the Neva Bay.

Once they had arrived on the island, they had met up with one of Dorofei's twin bodyguards, who said that he would bring them to Dorofei. Hoping to learn a few things, Evan tried to chat the man up as they walked.

"I read up on Saint Petersburg on the way here. Nice city. If only we had come here in June, we'd have the chance to see the White Nights Festival..." he said regretfully.

"Yes," the bodyguard replied frankly, continuing to walk without looking at him or showing much interest.

"How about you? You're usually in Moscow. Have you ever gone to the festivals?" Evan asked excitedly.

"Yes."

"..." Evan stared at him quietly, discouraged by the emotionless and curt replies. Giorgio observed the man curiously.

The tall, bulky man seemed to be a man of few words. With his expressionless face, neither of them could tell what he was thinking behind his sunglasses. But the way he dressed and carried himself showed that he was a professional. Giorgio and Evan wondered if the coldness was just the way they did things here.

"Well," Evan tried again eventually, "At least tell me your name? I think we'll be seeing each other a lot. What should I call you?"

"Kuznetsov."

"...Mr. Kuznetsov. Alright..." Evan said.

Kuznetsov didn't seem interested in elaborating any further afterwards, so Evan decided to keep quiet, not wanting to get on the man's bad side by annoying him.

* * *

Kuznetsov had then left them with Dorofei, who had warmly welcomed them and brought them on a tour to see his research facility.

The building was large and had been built with a minimalist designーslick and clad in whites and grey, having a futuristic look. The first thing that Giorgio and Evan noticed was robots everywhere, much like in the gold mine factory. Evan ducked as a drone flew by, carrying building materials from room to room. Scientists and engineers stood about debating and discussing new structures to be made. In the wider areas, computers and robotic arms ran the production line.

Surprisingly for Giorgio and Evan, they had not spotted any battle androids being produced anywhere. Had Smirnov decided not to show them to new employees? Even so, the gigantic machines that the engineers were working on caught their attention.

"What's that, if I may ask?" Giorgio inquired, motioning to a mechanical, pillar-like cylindrical structure that occupied a large area in the middle of the room they were in. It went 3 stories high upwards almost reaching the roof of the facility, but it had also been built downwards through the floor.

Evan moved towards the railing surrounding it and peered down, seeing that it stretched over ten floors below ground. The walls surrounding the machine underground were open, and it was only fenced by waist-high railings such as on this floor. Lights and noises showed that there were activities being carried on underground as well.

"That's a supercomputer that we're currently developing," Dorofei answered Giorgio proudly, "It could be the future of the human race."

"...What does it do?" Giorgio asked again, his interest piqued. Dorofei remained quiet for awhile, before answering.

"I'd be very happy to tell you, Mr. Bardi. But I must apologize because its details are currently still confidential, shared only amongst the computer's engineering team," he said, "Shame really. Someone like you would've enjoyed listening to stories about it. But it's nearing completion, so I'll be sure to tell you when the time comes."

"Well, I'll look forward to that," Giorgio said, making a mental note about the computer but deciding not to push it for now. He then looked at his watch.

"Why, Mr. Smirnov, it's about lunch time. Do you mind if the three of us have lunch together?" Giorgio suggested.

"That's a pleasant idea. Why not?" Dorofei said, amused, "I certainly want to know more about the people I'll be working with!"

"Thanks, Mr. Smirnov." Giorgio nodded, then called out to Evan, who was still inspecting the supercomputer by the railings. "Jean, shall we?"

Evan, however, didn't respond to him. Instead, he swayed, his grip loosening on the railings as he slid down, falling weakly onto the floor.

"Jean!" Giorgio exclaimed, immediately rushing to him. Dorofei followed.

"Mr. Romée! What's wrong?" Dorofei asked, frowning worriedly as Giorgio pulled Evan into his arms.

"Anemia. This happens from time to time," Giorgio said. "Jean, you alright?"

"...Yeah," Evan said weakly. "I have my medicine with me. I should be fine if you let me lie down for awhile. Sorry for being a bother on the first day of work."

"Don't be silly. Your health comes first!" Dorofei said with care. "I'll get you a room. Just rest for today, alright?"

With that, Dorofei stood up and turned around, taking out his phone to ask for a room to be prepared. Evan looked up at Giorgio and winked quietly, glad that the little act they had put on had gone perfectly well.

* * *

It was a research facility, so the bed that Evan had been laid on in the small room wasn't the best. This wing of the facility seemed to serve as the workers' sleeping quarters. Since it was work hours, nobody was around outside. Perfect.

Giorgio had gone with Dorofei for lunch a while back, or, from their point of view, to dig up information from the man by interviewing him. Meanwhile, having successfully freed himself from everyone's attention for the day, Evan had his own task.

He sat up on his bed, unzipping his jacket to reveal his concealed gun. He popped out its magazine to make sure that it was fully loaded, before pushing it back in. Then he pulled a little medicine box out of his coat pocket, which, instead of pills, hid his earpiece. Evan placed it in his ear and contacted Aleksandr.

"Bernard here. We're in."

"Sokolov here. Good to hear that everything went smoothly. Continuing with Phase 2 of the operation. We're counting on you," Aleksandr replied.

"Alright. I'll call you again. Hope things go well," Evan said, before ending the call.

He then reached into his other coat pocket and took out a small GPS device, turning it on. Bending down, he carefully stuck it under his bed, watching it beep for a moment to make sure that it was functioning properly.

There. Aleksandr and the politsiya should be able to locate this secret research facility now. Time to move on to Phase 2.

* * *

Phase 1 was to locate Dorofei's base of operations. Phase 2 was to squeeze out as much intel as possible.

While Giorgio had gone to talk to Dorofei directly, Evan's job was to somehow find the facility's mainframe computer and connect Aleksandr to it, so he could hack into it and dig up all the information they needed.

Evan didn't see the mainframe during Dorofei's tour of the above ground levels, so he suspected that it was underground. Dorofei had not openly shown them the lower levels of the facility, making Evan wonder if the battle androids were down there, too. Only one way to find out, but alas, his search for an elevator or stairs that led underground was in vain.

Evan moved to avoid being spotted by another security camera as he walked, hiding in a blind spot behind a pillar. He sighed in irritation as he wondered where to look next. His gaze then trailed to the room where they had seen the supercomputer, which gave him an idea.

Smirking smugly, Evan quickly sneaked into the room. Grabbing one of the many thick and long cables that were strewn all over the floor, he quietly made his way to the railings around the supercomputer, peering down momentarilyーif by any chance he slipped, it would be a long fall to his death.

But work needed to be done quickly, so he fastened a part of the cable he was holding onto the railing and threw the rest down. He moved over to the other side of the railing and, holding his breath, grabbed tightly onto the cable and slid down.

* * *

Evan found it quite unfortunate that the cable's length had stopped short halfway before he could reach the lowest floor. As dropping down 5 stories by himself wasn't an option, he swung himself over the railings of the nearest floor he could reach, stumbling as he landed, but landing safely. He straightened himself, staying on alert in case there was anyone around.

Luckily for him, there wasn't. Instead, mechanical sounds from other sections of the floor resounded in the air. Evan wondered if this was another robot-run production floor. Seeing some light from an adjoining room, he decided to head that way. What he saw shocked him to the core.

A gigantic room spread before him, with numerous production lines putting together machines and weapons into humanoid forms. An army of the finished androids was being amassed at one section of the room, confirming the suspicions they had. They were mostly metallic skeletal frames, standing still and inactive. Evan quickly contacted Aleksandr.

"Lieutenant Sokolov. The android army! I'm seeing it!"

"Agent Bernard!" Aleksandr exclaimed. "Are you alright? Are they attacking you? I'll dispatch my men there immediately!"

"No, no! They seem to still be inactive. None of them are moving," Evan assured him. "Give Giorgio some more talking time before you send anyone here. I'll see what else I can find myself."

Aleksandr sighed in relief. "Alright. Just be careful."

"Okay," Evan replied with a nod. He turned around and was just about to explore the room further, but suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

Kuznetsov had just entered from the other side of the huge room, black suit and sunglasses standing out in stark contrast against the white of the facility. Evan dived behind a pillar.

Kuznetsov stood across the room, looking over the railing to oversee how the production was going. Evan watched him carefully. He could hear a beep through his earpiece as Natalya came online.

"Agent Bernard."

"Busy," Evan whispered back.

"Urgent!"

Evan glanced back at Kuznetsov. He hadn't moved from his position, and was probably too far to hear or notice him.

"Fine, make it quick!" He told her.

"We just arrested the doctor whom I was investigating. He said that the 'Blacksmith' androids are already active around the facility and are protecting Smirnov. They seem to be more advanced than we thought, having the ability to quickly track down their targets. Careful if you see one and try not to get into a fight with them," she said hurriedly.

"I will. Thanks," Evan replied. "But first, I'll have to sneak past a certain Kuznetsov."

"...Who?" Natalya asked.

"Smirnov's bodyguard, Kuznetsov," Evan repeated. Natalya gasped in horror.

" _'Kuznets'_...! 'Blacksmith'!" Natalya exclaimed.

Evan's heart skipped a beat at the surprise. A stiff, emotionless voice suddenly spoke up from behind him.

"Mr. Romée, fancy finding you here. Are you lost?" said Kuznetsov. He didn't even give Evan a chance to reply as he continued, his mechanical arm opening up and transforming into a blaster.

"I'm afraid you've seen too much."


	10. Pancake!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 10! First time I'm putting in my all and aiming for completion, so I've never actually made it this far in whatever I've written before.  
> While I do have a rough plot prepared, everything ahead is mostly uncharted territory in practice. I'll do my best to keep it up!  
> My aim's still to finish this fic by the end of this month. I'm guessing probably some 5 more chapters to go :D

**【Chapter 10: Блин!】**

_ー Blin! ー_  
_ー Pancake! ー_

_Cafeteria, secret research facility 12:12_

Giorgio talked to Dorofei over a freshly prepared dish of Beef Stroganoff and some vodka. Not being a restaurant, naturally the food was not of chef quality, but one could tell that the cooks had put in a lot of effort. To make the lunch all the more pleasant, Dorofei's open nature and eagerness made him very easy to talk to. Giorgio could understand why he was a successful businessman, and this would have been an enjoyable lunch if it weren't for the fact that he was here to eventually arrest him. Whenever technical topics came up, Wesley had told Giorgio what to say from his hidden earpiece, so the conversation had been flowing smoothly.

"Mr. Bardi, I'm glad to have met someone so knowledgeable. Say, according to you, what do you think is the greatest human flaw?" Dorofei asked, their small talk having led to a philosophical discussion about their perspectives. Giorgio thought for awhile.

"Hmm... The fact that everyone has a little evil in them no matter how good they are?" He chipped in in a relaxed manner, knowing that Dorofei wasn't particularly looking for a 'correct' answer.

"Oh, I also think of that as one," Dorofei said in agreement. "But you know, don't you think that what causes the evil itself is 'fear'? I believe that human beings are innately good, and that they wouldn't harm their brothers unless threatened. I theorize that it's actually fear and insecurities that drives people into madnessーrobbing money for survival and the like, such as what happened to you at the Red Square. You saw how the children turned back to their original state once their safety was assured."

Giorgio gave Dorofei a curious look. Trying to put the pieces together, he wasn't sure if he could understand Dorofei's contradictory mindset. Why would he talk about people being good while he himself was dabbling knee-deep in illegal activities? Nevertheless, Giorgio decided to pursue the conversation, thinking that if he dug deep enough, he could uncover Dorofei's real motives.

"That could be right," he said. "Say, do you have any proposed solution as to how this 'fear' could be removed, or at the very least, reduced?"

"Well, of course! I awoke to the problem a little over twenty years ago. It has been my life's purpose since then to create a world free of fear, and therefore, free of crime!" Dorofei announced his dreams proudly, to Giorgio's further confusion. The man then continued.

"You see, Mr. Bardi. According to Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, what drives a human into action the most is his 'physiological needs'ーthe need for food, shelter, clothing... Survival. When his life is threatened, a man's natural reaction is to become desperate, and left like that for prolonged periods, he's likely to commit even the most heinous of crimes just to survive. Once we come to that realization, we find that by simply providing for that base need of survival for the entire human race, we'd bring about a great future."

"...But Mr. Smirnov," Giorgio said frowning, utterly bewildered, "Is there even a way to accomplish that?"

"Immortality," Dorofei answered, eyes brightly lit with dreams.

"When the idea first came up, I didn't believe it myself either. But I have a friend in Saint Petersburg who gave me hope. If it's him, there's no doubt that he can achieve that. I just have to follow whatever he says. We're quite close to achieving our goals," he said happily, "In fact, we'll begin to carry out our operations tomorrow night! Mr. Bardi, how glad I am to be able to witness this great evolution of mankind with you!"

With that, Giorgio had dug up so much more than he had expected to, but he was unsure of what to make of it. Dorofei, Sergei's boss, had another boss? And he said that they were planning to make their decisive move in about 24 hours! Preposterous! Knowing that they had come late, Giorgio hurried.

"Mr. Smirnov, if you don't mind, may I know the name of your friend? I'd certainly love to make his acquaintance," he said, forcing himself to remain calm.

"Of course! His name isー"

Unfortunately for Giorgio, the answer he sought was abruptly cut short by the sudden blaring of security alarms. One of the facility staff gave a hurried warning over the PA system and Dorofei looked startled. Giorgio saw the bodyguard Kuznetsov, or probably his twin, run towards Dorofei. He reported something in Russian, so Giorgio couldn't catch what he was saying, but he was certain that he caught the word 'Romée' in it.

Evan! Was he caught? As if to confirm that, Evan suddenly contacted him via his earpiece.

" _Tonton!_  I'm bustedーKuznetsov is the Blacksmith android!"

Gunshots could be heard from Evan's side of the line. Giorgio frowned deeply, wanting to reply but unable to do so. He noticed an anxious Dorofei turning to look at him with Kuznetsov. The latter addressed him with his now understandable emotionless tone.

"Mr. Bardi, it seems that your 'friend' Mr. Romée has been doing things that he shouldn't. I apologize, but we'll have to detain you until you can prove that you're clean."

Well, the moment Kuznetsov searched him and found out that he had a gun on him, it would be over, so Giorgio decided that he might as well make a run for it. Quietly placing his palms under his table, he suddenly flipped it, surprising both Dorofei and Kuznetsov.

Kuznetsov, immediately recovering as though it meant nothing, began to shoot at Giorgio with the built-in blaster in his right arm. Giorgio dived behind the steel tables and pillars of the cafeteria, taking cover as he made his way to the exit. Stopping behind a partition wall as Kuznetsov continued shooting, Giorgio hurriedly contacted Aleksandr.

"Lieutenant Sokolov! The mission's busted! Send people to capture the facility!"

"Copy that! Both of you get out of there safely!" Aleksandr replied.

Giorgio took his gun out of his coat and readied it. Based on the blueprints he'd seen, Kuznetsov's android core, his processing unit, should be located at his heart. The moment Kuznetsov stopped shooting in order to recharge his blaster, Giorgio took the chance and shot a well-aimed bullet towards his chest.

The single bullet whizzed out of his gun through the air, tearing through the android's black suit as it made contact, puncturing through his thick metallic chest, but, having lost all its force after the collision, bounced off without even reaching the CPU and fell uselessly to the ground with a hopeless clink. Giorgio's eyes widened in dismay.

Kuznetsov, completely unfazed by the attack, finished charging his blaster and continued shooting, slowly making his way to Giorgio. To make it worse, he moved so that he was standing between Giorgio and the exit, blocking the path. Giorgio bit back a curse. It looked like the only way out was to take the android down.

Readying himself, he ran out of his hiding spot, deliberately making Kuznetsov shoot at him. The moment Kuznetsov was forced to recharge his empty blaster, Giorgio shot at him again in the same spot. Unfortunately, the shot failed to destroy the android core again, but a flicker of electricity that he saw showed that his bullet had successfully ripped all the way through to the center, exposing the weak spot. One more shot.

Without waiting for Kuznetsov to finish recharging, Giorgio decided to fight on the offensive, sliding and tackling him hard. Not expecting the sudden aggressiveness, Kuznetsov fell to the ground with a loud metallic clang. Giorgio quickly got up and pointed his gun at the deep hole that he had made, the lights of the CPU just barely visible.

" _Addio_  (Goodbye), Kuznetsov."

With that, he shot at the CPU, effectively destroying it. Kuznetsov's mechanical body jerked as uncontrolled electricity ran through his system. A moment later, the currents died down, and the android stopped moving as the lights from his core faded.

His job done, Giorgio stood up. He looked over the cafeteria's mess towards the table where he had been eating with Dorofei. The fighting having died down, Dorofei himself, startled, troubled and disheveled, slowly emerged from where he'd taken cover.

"Mr. Bardi, what is the meaning of this? Were you a spy all along?!" He yelled, more due to the pain of betrayal rather than anger. Giorgio turned and confronted him.

"You're developing illegal weapons with plans to harm the public, Mr. Smirnov. We had to deal with it," Giorgio said. "The police will arrive soon. I'd prefer that you come quietly."

Dorofei's despairing expression was that of a man who just had his dreams crushed. "No. After over twenty years of hard work, our project's finally going to come to fruition. I can't just let you take it all awayーnot after coming this far..."

As if having made up his mind, Dorofei took out his phone, clicking a few buttons decisively. Giorgio was startled when a synthesized voice suddenly spoke through the facility's PA system, first in Russian and then in English.

_"Warning. Emergency commands have been activated. The facility will self-destruct in one hour. All staff, please evacuate immediately."_

A chill ran down Giorgio's spine at the words. Dorofei laughed.

"This isn't our only facility. Losing it wouldn't cost us as much as it would if it fell into enemy hands," he said triumphantly.

"Cancel the self-destruct right now!" Giorgio shouted. He was about to go and grab Dorofei, but then he saw three or four more brand new Kuznetsovs enter the room, all of them ready with their charged weapons. Giorgio cursed, forced to leave the room as they began attacking him. He quickly contacted Evan.

"Evan! Dorofei wants to erase the evidenceーYou heard the self-destruct warning! Get out of here immediately!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the underground levels of the facility, Evan had managed to successfully take down the Kuznetsov that was chasing him after a close call. The android crackled before dying down, crushed by a giant robotic arm that Evan had managed to bring down on top of him.

Evan panted heavily, trying to catch his breath after the battle. He had heard Giorgio's warning. The wailing alarms that echoed disturbingly through the empty underground halls of the facility only worsened his anxietyーif he was caught here when the self-destruct happened, he would really die alone.

He shook his head and forced himself not to panic. Studying Kuznetsov's remains, he found a security card hanging from his neck. Thinking that it should be useful to open doors, he grabbed it and quickly looked for an elevator to go back upstairs. The worry on his face relaxed into relief when he saw one just at the corner of the production room. Evan quickly rushed towards it. He was just about to press the up button, but he suddenly stopped.

This place would self-destruct in an hourーthey'd lose all their leads and Dorofei would succeed with whatever evil plan he had in mind.

Evan gulped. All the warning sirens blaring around him suddenly sounded so distant he thought he could hear his own nervous heartbeat. Slowly, his hand hovered downward, and he pressed the down button of the elevator instead.

The rapid elevator soon came, and he stepped inside. He saw a floor guide in the elevator. The control room and mainframe were on the lowest floorーfifteen floors below ground. He tapped Kuznetsov's card key against the card reader and pressed the floor button. The doors closed, bringing him downwards. Giorgio's worried call came in through his earpiece.

"Evan! I'm outside. Where are you? Have you made it out?"

Evan paused, then answered nervously, like a child who didn't want his misconduct to be discovered by his parent.

"Underground, but I found the floor maps. Currently heading to an elevator to go upstairs. Don't worry about me," he said as the elevator brought him into the all-consuming darkness of the facility's lower floors.


	11. Only the grave will cure the hunchback

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you have fun *evil laughs*

**【Chapter 11: Горба́того моги́ла испра́вит】**

_ー Gorbatovo mogila ispravit. ー_  
_ー Only the grave will cure the hunchback. ー_

_"Agent Bernard, when will you ever change?! Do you not care about your own life?!"_

_Agent Giorgio Bruno scolded his new partner after one of their first missions, the young Evan having performed yet another incredible daredevil stunt that almost got him killed._

_"But I managed to save those civilians, didn't I? The mission was a success, and they think that I'm a hero. Why are you mad at me?" Evan retorted in irritation. "I was only doing the right thing! You just don't have enough guts to do the same!"_

_It was in Evan's nature to charge in immediately the moment he saw someone in dangerーa trait that the VSSE had admired and had scouted him for. Evan thought that he'd be applauded for his courage if he kept it up, but instead, he had to confront the wrath of his more analytical and strategic mentor every time._

_"Agent Bernard, there's a huge difference between having courage, and just mindlessly throwing your life away," Giorgio seethed. "I want you to tell me all your plans before you execute them next time, so we can come up with something that won't end with you in the morgue!"_

_Evan only pouted, folded his arms, and looked away defiantly._

* * *

_Underground elevator, secret research facility 13:08_

Evan smiled a little as the bittersweet memories of his early days as an agent played in his mind. At first, he and Giorgio had been like oil and waterーopposite personalities clashing at full force to result in the shittiest teamwork ever recorded in VSSE history.

Evan thought of Giorgio as an enemy back then, only there to sabotage his acts of heroism and prevent him from doing almost everything. Young and reckless, he had not been able to comprehend Giorgio's viewpoint at the time. But now, after working together for over four years, he was able to better put himself in Giorgio's shoes, understanding how worried sick he must have really been, as well as how much he should have been grateful to have such a caring partner.

But still, Evan knew that not all situations would let him escape unscathed. When it was something as dangerous as the one he was currently in, he found himself returning to his old self, deciding to do things on his own, reluctant to tell Giorgio anything for fear that he might end up dragging his friend to hell with him. It wasn't as if Evan wanted to die either, but someone needed to finish the job.

He looked at his phone. Around 50 minutes before this research facility self-destructed. His plan was to get to the lowest floor, find the mainframe, install Aleksandr's hacking program quickly, and get back outside as fast as possible before the place blew up. He wasn't sure how long it would take him to find the mainframe, or if he could make it out at all. He found himself morbidly beginning to think of the perfect last words that he could say to Giorgio before he died.

* * *

The elevator reached the bottom floor of the facility, B15F, with an echoing ping. The doors opened and Evan had expected more machinery and robotic arms doing factory work, or maybe even more Kuznetsovs, so he had his gun ready. To his surprise, none of them were there.

To his puzzlement, this floor was the complete opposite of the upper floors. While the floors above had been factoriesーstark white walls, clean and neatly arranged, with everything acting according to a systemーB15F was a great mess in comparison.

The lights were dim. Smaller robotic arms stood here and there without any visible pattern in their positioning, freely doodling what seemed to be children's drawings onto the wall with crayonsーsimple pictures of trees, flowers, birds and little houses. Paper craft decorations of vibrant colours hung across the ceiling. The floor was littered with teddy bears, various dolls and other toys. The sight gave Evan the impression that he was in an abandoned nursery.

The self-destruct warning sirens that could be heard echoing from the floors above reminded him of his task. No one was around, but Evan decided to proceed cautiously. The mainframe was most likely up ahead, so he quickened his pace, exploring half the floor before finally finding it.

He had entered a large room, walls equally full of doodles. There was a giant computer in the center, with a wide array of control panels. Evan reached into his pocket and took out a USBーone that contained Aleksandr's hacking tools. He was just moving towards the computer when the sudden sight of a figure sitting on the floor nearby gave him a scare.

It was a young girl of about ten years old with straight dirty blonde hair that reached her chest, seated on the floor and leaning against the wall. Her head was drooped low and she seemed to be unconscious, her innocent face visible behind her long bangs. Behind her on the wall were doodles of her and a man, most likely her father, holding hands and smiling together in front of a little house. Her tender fingers were gently wrapped around a colourful matryoshka doll.

A sudden civilian at a time like this! Evan didn't even know how he should react. Even so, he quickly rushed over to check if the girl was alright.

"Hey, you okay?" He hurried over, kneeling down next to her and shaking her shoulder lightly, attempting to wake her up. But as his hand closed around her shoulder, he frowned.

Her skin was cold, with an unnatural rubberlike texture. Curiously, Evan took her wrist and pressed around it lightly with his thumb, only to feel hard metal and intertwining tubes of cable underneath her skin. He then tipped her chin up, feeling the joints in her neck rotate mechanically, exposing some connector lines around her neck. Evan pulled back slowly and stood up.

_'Soft robotics...'_

The girl looked so real, but he realized that she was just a child android, like the ones in the other blueprint that he had seenーa finished product of the broken dolls he had seen at Sergei's base. Upon closer inspection, however, she was covered in dust, so he thought it unlikely for her to be working at all.

A sudden hum of engines from the mainframe surprised Evan, reminding him why he was there. He quickly ran towards the computer, slamming the USB he was carrying into its USB port and working quickly. The warning alarms from the floors above suddenly sounded so loud in his ears. 35 minutes left.

Fortunately, the programs didn't take too long to install and the preparations soon finished. Evan held onto his earpiece, his heart beating rapidly. Giorgio was so going to chew him out for this. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he contacted Aleksandr.

"Lieutenant Sokolov! This is Bernard reporting! I have you connected to the research facility's mainframe. Hack and copy as many files as you can before this place goes down!" He commanded boldly.

Aleksandr flinched, completely caught by surprise as he had expected Evan to be making his way out. But he understood what was happening immediately and got to work without question. "Got that, Agent Bernard! Get out of there!"

Giorgio, also on the line and listening for further developments, was horribly astonished. "What?! Evan!"

"Don't worry,  _tonton_! Got the job done and still have 30 minutes left. I'll be out of here before you know it!" Evan said, running back towards the elevator.

He had almost reached it when a blaster bullet suddenly exploded the controls of the elevator, and Evan's hopes of escaping along with it. He looked to the side, eyes wide with shock as a certain android, Kuznetsov, walked towards him, weapons ready.

"All threats shall be eliminated," Kuznetsov said, cold and threatening. Evan dived to the side to evade a bullet.

 _'I can't believe it!'_  He cursed mentally at the last-minute misfortune. He rolled behind a wall and readied his gun, but having fought Kuznetsov once, Evan knew that rather than trying to shoot through his thick metal plates, it would be faster to look for some other way. Looking around, the live wires hanging from the destroyed elevator controls caught his attention.

Ready with a plan, Evan ran out from behind cover, shooting at Kuznetsov to attract his attention. Kuznetsov went after him, unaware that he was being led. Once the android was close enough to the elevator, Evan suddenly turned around, swinging a kick to knock him into the broken controls.

He successfully caught Kuznetsov in the wires, the resulting electrocution causing his systems to malfunction and overload. Sparks flew and soon, the android's engines died down. Evan panted heavily, keeping an eye on him to make sure that he didn't wake back up.

"Evan! ...Evan! What was that?!" He heard Giorgio's tense voice from his earpiece. Evan glanced at his phone. 20 more minutes left.

" _Tonton_ , Kuznetsov appeared and destroyed the call buttons. I can't open the elevator's doors. I'll try to look for another one or emergency stairs!" Evan replied, hurrying.

He scoured the floor quickly. But try as he might, he didn't see any other elevator or possible exit. 10 more minutes left. Evan grew desperate. He had run a full circle back to the elevator whose controls Kuznetsov had destroyed. He tried forcing the doors open with his hands, banging and kicking at them in frustration when he failed.

"Evan! Are you outside?!" Giorgio almost shouted.

"...Yes," Evan said, not wanting to worry him despite knowing that there was no way out of this now, "Yes, just a little bit more..." He slid down to his knees, exhausted. All the fear, frustration and despair were beginning to engulf and tear at him.

"Evan, you fool! Do you think I can't tell that you're lying?!" He heard Giorgio's angry but scared voice, "Where ARE you?!"

"No,  _tonton_ ," Evan replied quietly. "I won't tell you. The last thing I need is for you to come in here and get yourself killed trying to save me. Stay there."

"Evan!" Giorgio called desperately. Evan laughed emptily.

"I thought I had prepared something to say to you in this situation, but it's all so jumbled in my head now I don't even know where to start," he said, sitting there with the sirens blaring around him, his legs feeling too weak to even stand. 5 more minutes left.

"Just... Thanks for always being there. The best times I had were when I was with you, Giorgio. Sorry that I never listened..."

Giorgio was silent, and Evan thought that that would be the last of it. But Giorgio shouted at him.

" _Cazzo_ , EVAN! Would you just listen?! I told you that my job's to keep you alive! And I'm not foolish enough to kill myself in the process. Tell me where you are!"

It was an order. Evan was hesitant, but after mentally warring with himself, he decided to confide in Giorgio.

"B15F, back to the elevator where I took down Kuznetsov. Tried looking, but there wasn't any other way out."

Giorgio didn't reply, but Evan could feel that he was scrambling for ideas on the other side. He spoke up once he had one.

"Kuznetsov's a battle androidーhe's loaded with weapons! According to what I saw on his blueprints, he should have an explosive in his torso as a part of his self-destruct mechanism. Use that and blow that elevator door open!"

_'Génial (Genius)!'_

Evan didn't wait another second once he had been told. He grabbed onto Kuznetsov's leg and yanked him out of the tangle of wires, dropping the metallic body onto the floor.

"Just got pictures of the blueprint from Lieutenant Sokolov," Giorgio continued, "A switch on his back will open up the torso. Look for a red cylinder!"

Evan, his hopes returning, quickly followed the instructions. Once he found the cylinder, he quickly yanked it out, placing it firmly in front of the elevator doors. He stood up and moved some distance away, aiming his gun at the explosive. Grinning smugly, he shot at it, watching it blow up and take down the doors in the process.

2 more minutes left.

Evan pounced into the elevator, slamming the card key and punching the button for the ground floor. The elevator moved up immediately. Soon, he was above ground. The doors opened and Evan burst out.

"Giorgio! I'm on the ground floor. I'm getting out of here!" He reported gladly and gratefully. Immediately after he said that, the computerized voice of the PA system spoke.

_"Self-destruct in 1 minute. 60, 59, 58..."_

Evan cursed, sprinting faster, recalling the path to the exit of the spacious facility.

* * *

Standing at quite some distance away from the building, Giorgio waited with the police, tense. Under Aleksandr's command, the police had arrived when the facility's scientists and researchers were evacuating. They had managed to catch some of them, but most, including Dorofei, had escaped with the help of the Kuznetsov androids and hidden escape routes. Natalya and the SOBR had gone to pursue them immediately.

But Giorgio couldn't care less about them at the moment. His eyes were trained on the facility's exit, waiting for Evan. 30 seconds left, but he still hadn't shown up.

_...5, 4, 3, 2, 1..._

Once time finally ran out, the research facility blew up spectacularly, great explosions followed by other great explosions, sending a wave of dust towards all those standing outside. The roof and upper floors of the facility caved in and crashed loudly. It felt as though the ground was shaking and a giant field of fire spread itself before them, creating a hellish landscape. Giorgio lowered the arm he was using to shield himself.

"Evan!" He shouted, immediately dashing towards the crumbling buildings.

"Agent Bruno!" The police officers around him panicked, running after him to stop him. Once Giorgio entered the burning building, another explosion happened at the entrance, stopping the policemen in their tracks. They moved back to avoid being burnt.

"Agent Bruno!" They shouted, thinking that they had lost him. They watched anxiously as the flames continued to consume the building. But soon after, their hopes were rewarded as they saw the silhouette of a man approaching from within the sea of dancing flames.

Giorgio, an unconscious Evan held firmly in his arms, walked boldly through the fires, leaving the burning facility behind.

"Agent Bruno! Agent Bernard!" The police officers shouted in relief, rushing towards them to help. "They're alive!"

"Here. Run a checkup and make sure that he's alright," Giorgio said, lowering Evan gently onto a stretcher that the medics had brought. The medics nodded and hurried off with their work. Giorgio wordlessly looked up at the skies, sighing and letting go of his tension.

They might still have a lot of work ahead, but for now, he was relieved.


	12. Take yourself into your hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took 3 days because I got stuck with some plot points. But it's done now, so here you go!

**【Chapter 12: Взять себя в руки】**

_ー Vzyat sebya v ruki. ー_  
_ー Take yourself into your hands. ー_

_Hospital, Saint Petersburg 19:04_

That night, Evan woke up in a clean, tidy hospital room. He stirred slowly, feeling the comfort of the mildly cold bedsheetsーthey assured him that he wasn't running for his life in a burning, exploding building anymore. He didn't feel anything hurting in particular, so he supposed that he hadn't suffered much injury.

' _This mission's hospital count... Two...'_

He groaned groggily, trying to force his eyes to open and get over his disorientation. The shadows of chaotic fires, Kuznetsov shooting at him, and the girl he found underground continued to persistently haunt his mind. He felt as though he was going to have a panic attack, fingers grasping onto the sheets around him.

 _"Woof!"_  Evan heard a bark from his right. He directed his attention there and saw a familiar German Shepherd.

Maksim was there, having mounted his front legs onto the bed. The dog was looking at him, his tail energetically swishing this way and that in excitement. He seemed to turn even happier when he saw that Evan had woken up, leaning in to lick his face playfully.

"Eyy, Maks! Haha," Evan laughed, pulling back a little and gently petting the fluffy dog. He let out a sigh, calming down.

No one else was in the room. Evan thought that both Giorgio and Natalya must be busy sorting things out after the research facility incident. Maksim pulled back and hopped off the bed, running towards the door and smartly opening it. Barking excitedly, he hurried out of the room. Soon, he came back with Giorgio and Natalya in tow.

"Agent Bernard! Thank God you're alright!" Natalya exclaimed, immediately running over and hugging him, unable to hold back her relief. Evan blushed shyly, but his expression turned to fear when he saw Giorgio walking over to him, face stern. Noticing him, Natalya pulled back.

Evan knew that he was in troubleーGiorgio would definitely scold him like never before. He averted his gaze nervously, getting ready for the impending sermon. But Giorgio only pulled him into his arms, holding him tightly as though he might disappear if he were to let go.

"You never change, do you?" Giorgio said.

"..." Evan remained quiet for awhile, before wrapping his arms around Giorgio reassuringly.

"Well, I have the best person to pull me out of trouble whenever I step into it," he said. They pulled back, both having gained a deeper trust and understanding of each other.

"So what happened to Smirnov?" Evan asked, "Did you get him?"

Giorgio was about to answer, but then Natalya's communication device beeped. She picked it up and answered in Russian. They waited for her to finish. She turned the device off and put it back into her pocket.

"Smirnov was escaping in a helicopter when we gave chase," she said. "It broke out into a fight and he crashed down when his rotor blades got damaged in the struggle. He's in the ICU right now and my men just said that he's woken up. We should go see him."

* * *

The three of them rushed to the ICU. Evan had insisted on coming despite still feeling somewhat nauseous. Giorgio thought that they would be exchanging some important information, so he lent Evan his shoulder and helped him get to the room.

In the ICU, Dorofei was wrapped up in bandages from head to toe when they saw him, tubes and machines attached to him almost everywhere. The room was quiet, filled with only the gentle beeping of the ICU monitor.

"Multiple fatal injuries. We don't think that he'll last long," Giorgio and Evan heard the doctor say in a hushed voice to Natalya behind them. They looked at Dorofei worriedly. Giorgio walked over next to his bed.

"Mr. Bardi..." Dorofei spoke up weakly, his voice hoarse, "I heard that you managed to break into the mainframe. Guess all my efforts went under a dog's tail."

"You certainly made it difficult," Giorgio said.

"But you still won't make it... Everything else went smoothly."

"Mr. Smirnov... From our conversations, I know that despite your actions, you're a good man," Giorgio said. "Are you sure that this is the right way to reach your goals?"

"..."

"Are you sure that it's alright to deliberately kill people for a cause? You believe that everyone's goodーDon't you want to figure out a way in which everyone can be saved instead?" Giorgio persisted.

"...Such a thing is simply impossible, Mr. Bardi. You cannot expect a gain without any losses. Our targets would only hinder the growth of humanity and must be removed. I will gladly carry the sin of having to kill them if everyone else can benefit from it!" Dorofei hissed weakly, but Giorgio knew that the man was deeply angered, the fire in his eyes not quelled despite his condition. Giorgio walked closer and leaned in.

"Mr. Smirnov... What happened to dreams and ambitions?" He said, gently now. "Should humanity not aspire to reach impossible heights? You've always held on to that belief. I know that that's your true self. What happened to that...?"

They weren't speaking as a secret agent to a criminal anymore, but as a man to a man. The passion and concern in Giorgio's voice seemed to have stirred something deep within Dorofei. His expression softened then, as if he had come to a great realization. Tears began to well up in his eyes and roll down his cheeks.

"Mr. Bardi, I... All this time I've run in the wrong direction, afraid of so many things," Dorofei sobbed. "Such a feat always felt so impossible. My friendーhe had convinced me. For the longest time, I believed that this was the only way..."

"Untrodden paths are always scary. I don't blame you," Giorgio said.

"I can't... What should I do? There's no way to stop that man now..." Dorofei replied desperately.

"We've faced many difficult situations like this. We'll stop him for you. Guaranteed," Giorgio said with determination. "Nothing's ever too late. Tell us about the man behind this."

Dorofei paused, hesitating. After thinking it over a few times, he closed his eyes, deciding to make the final leap.

"Afanasiy Novikov..."

"And he's operating in Saint Petersburg?"

"No... He was, but he's moved to the base where everything will go downーa secret underground lab south of the Baikonur Cosmodrome... But I should warn you... Beware the dog."

After saying those cryptic words, Dorofei suddenly began to cough violently.

"Mr. Smirnov!" Giorgio exclaimed worriedly, upset that he couldn't do anything to help. Dorofei suddenly grabbed his wrist with a crushing grip.

"Mr. Bardi! I know that we're enemies, but I have a favor to ask... Would you please listen?" He asked desperately, knowing that he was dying.

"Say it!" Giorgio replied.

"Those five children from the Red Square... I told them that I would visit them in the orphanage," he said, painfully forcing the words out of his hoarse throat, "I'd love it if you could visit them in my place and make sure that they've settled down nicely. I hope that isn't too much to ask..."

"Of course! Of course... We'll visit them. We'll definitely visit them!" Giorgio said, taking his hand and holding it reassuringly.

Dorofei calmed down at his words, smiling blissfully. The beeping of the ICU monitor slowed down little by little. Tired, he closed his heavy eyelids, but he knew that he could rest peacefully now.

"Thank you..."

* * *

_The next day, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakh Steppe, Kazakhstan 8:22_

A cold winter wind blew through the wide, grassy plains. Baikonur, a city in Kazakhstan which had been rented and administered by the Russian Federation for its space program, laid quietly in the open fields of the Kazakh Steppe. The area was famous for the Baikonur Cosmodromeーa spaceport that was the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It was also known as the place which the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had launched from in 1961ーmaking history as the first man in space.

As a precaution, the police had evacuated all of Baikonur's citizens to safety the previous night. Now the place looked eerily like a ghost town, toppled tools, utensils and furniture being signs that everyone had left in a hurry.

Giorgio and Evan stood in front of a tent that the police had set up at the city's outskirts, keenly watching the area as officers continued searching the place. Half a day had passed since Dorofei's death, but the events in the ICU were still crystal clear in their minds. A solemn air hung around them and even Evan, who could be quite talkative, was quiet.

After Giorgio had reported Dorofei's information yesterday, Aleksandr had immediately sent people to look for the secret underground lab. As the men searched, Giorgio and Evan themselves had been told to get enough rest before the final confrontation. So they had slept as much as they could on the long journey here from Saint Petersburg.

Soon, a politsiya van came and parked nearby. The door slid open and out came Aleksandr, Natalya and Maksim. Aleksandr had a laptop in hand and dark rings under his eyes, having stayed up all night decoding files.

"Morning, gentlemen," he greeted Giorgio and Evan as Natalya pushed his wheelchair to them.

"Morning," Giorgio and Evan greeted back, a little worried to see how tired he looked.

"I have it!" Aleksandr exclaimed triumphantly, holding up his laptop. "Come inside the tent."

In the tent, Aleksandr opened his laptop and quickly began typing away. Natalya helped him connect it to a projector so all of them could see what was on the screen.

"First of all, thanks to Agent Bruno for the information about Novikov and Baikonurーthat wasn't written anywhere in the mainframe files that we retrieved," Aleksandr said, relieved. "And of course, thanks to Agent Bernard that we could get these files in the first place. They contain priceless information!"

Giorgio and Evan nodded. Aleksandr continued, opening files containing the 3D model of a giant spherical object.

"Alright, so here's what we have. We tried looking all over the government archives for an Afanasiy Novikov, but came up with nothing. Luckily, the mainframe files contained the enemy's masterplan, so at least we know what they're after. Whoever this Novikov is, he's been creating what's called a 'matrioshka brain'."

"Matrioshka brain?" Evan asked, glancing at Giorgio for an explanation. Giorgio, however, looked puzzled.

"It's a hypothetical megastructureーlayers of shells built around a star to harness all of its heat energy, giving it an immense computational capacity. The idea was first proposed in 1997," Giorgio explained, before turning to look at Aleksandr with a frown. "But I thought that such a thing would be impossible to build until thousands of years later with our technology."

"That's what everyone thought, but it seems that Novikov has achieved the impossible. According to our data, he has all the materials already floating in space at the moment, planning to fit them around the sun, as commonly proposed."

With the idea of the matrioshka brain put on the table, Giorgio suddenly came to a realization, all the talk about 'immortality' suddenly making sense.

"The popular belief is that the power of a matrioshka brain around the sun would be strong enough to create an entire alternate universe. NovikovーCould he be planning on uploading all human consciousness into that virtual reality plane?!"

"Sounds crazy, but it seems that way," Aleksandr confirmed, "But there's a catch. All the Kuznetsov androids? They have been stationed all over the world to carry out a purge of all those he deemed unfit for his new worldーeveryone with criminal records, as well as figures of authority. It seems that he wants a clean slate."

"That's nuts!" Evan exclaimed, "Who is he to decide who to kill?"

"We have to stop that," Giorgio said.

"According to their schedule, the Kuznetsovs will be mobilized for the purge at midnight tonight. Once that's done, he plans on setting up the matrioshka brain immediately to transfer everyone's consciousness."

"The men had better find his secret base quickly, then," Evan said.

"On a side note," Aleksandr said, "With the mainframe data, I've managed to unlock the second of the three transmission files from Volkov's base. Major Lebedeva has translated it. Could be useful for what's ahead, so let's listen."

Natalya opened one of the folders that she was carrying. Reaching the page, she read aloud.

"Sergei, I hope that you're still doing fine. I managed to get hold of a doctor friend of mine, so I'll send him to look at you in a few days. There aren't many criminals who would repentーI'm so proud of your decision! As Afanasiy said, perhaps showing that evil will be punished would be the best way for everyone to learn. With a blank slate, we'll also be able to make a new system where everyone can benefit and be happy. The world will be reborn.

"Afanasiy himself has suffered much. Did you know that he's lost someone dear to him? I admire how he has turned that pain into an undying willpower and motivation. Anyways, I'll contact you again. Stay healthy and stop drinkingーI don't want you to die before we get there."

"...Someone important," Evan thought aloud, "Could it be the child android?" Everyone looked at him curiously.

"It was a girl. I didn't have a chance to mention it because I passed out, but I saw the child android's finished version in that mainframe roomーCould've been his daughter," Evan said.

Giorgio brought a hand onto his chin, thinking. "We could be dealing with some kind of a revenge plot," he said.

"Anyway, what happened to Smirnov's doctor friend that Major Lebedeva caught?"

"He seems to have helped a little in the production of the Kuznetsovs, making them as human-like as possible," Aleksandr answered, "But other than that, he didn't seem to know much else. He said that details about the project were heavily guarded. We'll continue to interrogate him and see if we can find out more."

Aleksandr rubbed his eyes, his sleepiness getting to him. "I'll assign more men to the search teams. You guys be on standby."

Natalya rolled Alexandr's wheelchair out of the tent so he could immediately assign his orders. Giorgio followed them. Evan was about to exit too, shooting a last glance at the 3D sphere on Aleksandr's laptop screen.

The screen suddenly buzzed for a split second, and Evan thought that he saw the little girl from the underground mainframe room screaming. He jumped in surprise, but the image was gone in the next second. Evan rubbed his eyes, leaning in towards the screen and squinting suspiciously at it.

"Evan! You coming?" He heard Giorgio's voice from outside the tent.

"Coming!" Evan replied. Wondering if he was just tired, he exited the tent.

* * *

_Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakh Steppe, Kazakhstan 17:56_

The sun had set completely, making way for the full blast of the cold of the winter night. It had begun to snow lightly and a chill wind blew through the plains.

They had started a fire outside the tent. Giorgio and Evan stood together by it, feeling on edge as despite the fact that time was quickly running out, no one had come to report the discovery of the underground base yet. But they couldn't blame them, knowing how wide the Kazakh Steppe was.

Evan blew on his hands and rubbed them, trying to keep warm. His adrenaline was keeping him up, but to tell the truth, he was beginning to tire out, having come face to face with death just the previous day.

He looked over to Giorgio, who amazingly showed no signs of fatigue, fully focused on his duties. But from his slight slouch and frown, Evan could easily tell that he was just hiding it. He looked ahead again, hoping that they wouldn't slip up during the coming battle.

"Agent Bruno, Agent Bernard!"

They turned when they heard Aleksandr call out. He was trying to steer his wheelchair through the snow to get to them, so they rushed over to save him the trouble.

"Evening, Lieutenant Sokolov. Got some sleep?" Evan asked.

"A little nap. Don't worry about me," Aleksandr said. "How about you guys? Your faces don't look too good."

"We'll hold. Just a little tired," Evan replied, stretching.

"I thought so," Aleksandr said. "A lot of things happened to the two of you in such a short span of time. The VSSE must be quite tough to handle missions like this all the time."

He leaned down, picking up a pine cone that was half buried in the snow. He held it up in front of him, studying it for a moment, before looking up at Giorgio and Evan. He smiled at them.

"Come with me."

* * *

They went to the back of one of the police tents. Natalya was there, inserting a few broken-up twigs into a smoking, decorative, vase-like golden pot. She greeted them when she saw them.

"It's almost done," she said, trying to put in another twig.

"Major Lebedeva!" Aleksandr called for her attention. She looked at him.

"Found another one," he said, tossing her the pine cone that he had picked up earlier. Natalya caught it.

"Thanks!" She grinned, putting it into the pot with the twigs.

"What's that?" Evan asked curiously.

"A samovarーRussia's water boiler. Makes hot water for the best tea that will relax your stiff nerves." Aleksandr smiled proudly. "That one belongs to my  _babushka_  (grandma) and I brought it here with me when I came. Thought that you two might need some calming down after everything that has happened. Can't fight well with a messed-up head, right?"

"That's very thoughtful," Giorgio thanked him.

Waiting for the water to boil, they watched Natalya quietly prepare some powdered tea in a teapot, setting it aside. A thin smoke rose into the air as the twigs in the samovar burnt, accompanied by the peaceful crackling sounds of the firewood underneath the pot. Natalya having finished with the preparations, the four of them sat down, watching the samovar heat up slowly. For a moment, they could forget about the precarious situation they were in. The light snow falling softly around them in the silent night looked beautiful.

Once the water had heated up enough, Natalya pressed down on its tap to boil the powdered tea in the teapot. She poured it into cups that she passed around to everyone once she was done. Aleksandr took out some snacks and biscuits.

"It's concentrated tea in that cup," Natalya said cheerfully, "Add some more water from the samovar to dilute it to a level you like!"

So they sat down and drank tea together for a while, talking about things other than work. Giorgio and Evan relaxed as the little break did wonders for them. It was important to take a step back from the mess for awhile to clear their minds.

Later on, a little after they had finished, an officer came to report that they had found the hidden underground lab. By then, having pulled themselves together, everyone was refreshed and ready.

"Let's do this," Evan said confidently.


	13. Don't rush the horses!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stage 3 Area 1 & 2 ;D

**【Chapter 13: Не гони лошадей!】**

_ー Ne goni loshadyei! ー_  
_ー Don't rush the horses! ー_

_Secret underground lab, Kazakh Steppe, Kazakhstan 20:04_

'Four hours', Giorgio thought as he looked at his watch.

Four hours until Novikov launched the command for the Kuznetsov androids to start their killing spree.

Aleksandr's search teams had finally found the entrance to Novikov's secret underground lab after untiringly scouring the wide snowy plains for an entire day. It had been carefully hidden among the hills, in a place where no one would even consider looking. Obviously, the entrance was guarded by the Kuznetsov androids, and everyone was sure that there were more of them inside. But as they knew what they were up against this time, they were able to come fully prepared.

Evan did a last check of the magazine in his handgun. Once he was done, he placed it back into one of the holsters hanging from his waist, his machine gun, shotgun and grenade gun also ready for use. Giorgio finished checking his weapons as well. They stood with the SOBR officers near the hidden entrance.

"Agent Bruno, Agent Bernard, sorry to keep you waiting!" They heard Natalya call out. They turned to see her.

She came up to them dressed in her SOBR uniformーblack military clothes with a black bulletproof vest, long blond hair billowing beautifully in the snowy wind. She carried guns and extra ammo with her, instantly reminding Giorgio and Evan of a certain Captain Rush. The boldness in her expression and posture showed that she was someone you really wouldn't want to mess with. Maksim loyally followed by her side.

"Novikov had better run." Evan grinned. "This is going to be a party."

"We're counting on you," Natalya said. "As always, Lieutenant Sokolov will be providing extra support."

"Got that," Giorgio said, fitting in his earpiece and readying his gun. "Let's go!"

* * *

There didn't seem to be any other entrance to the underground lab, so they would have to force their way in through the front door. Knowing that, they decided to go all out.

The SOBR officers ambushed and shot at the Kuznetsov androids guarding the entrance to open the way. Giorgio fired a finishing shot at one of them as he charged in with Evan and Natalya. The Kuznetsovs inside noticed the breach and attacked them upon entry.

"Use the shotgun to expose their weak point!" Aleksandr suggested over the earpiece. Evan went ahead and tried it, closing in on one and shooting his chest twice, tearing off the shell.

"That works!" He said, shooting once more at the now exposed core to shut the Kuznetsov down.

Meanwhile, Giorgio decided to take it to another level, tearing open the android's stomach shell instead. He then kicked him back towards the other attacking Kuznetsovs. With a well-aimed shot, he exploded the android's now exposed self-destruct cylinder, bringing down the entire group.

 _"Bravo, tonton!"_  Evan cheered, running past Giorgio and jumping over the burning pile to the next area.

* * *

Fighting the Kuznetsov guards, they made their way further down the corridors of the lab, looking for floor maps to find the control roomーNovikov should be in there. After about half an hour of forcing their way through narrow corridors and down multiple stairs, the team found themselves in a wide room.

The ceiling was high and the walls were far apart. A model of the matrioshka brain sat in the middle of the room. Machines, computers and blueprints were scattered everywhere, but it didn't look like the room that they were looking for. Novikov was nowhere in sight.

"I guess we should keep looking. There's a door there," Evan suggested.

Mercilessly clearing the way, they had run far ahead of the rest of Natalya's SOBR team before they knew it. The men were, however, doing a good job at holding back the Kuznetsovs from reaching them, keeping their backs protected. Waiting for them to catch up would be a good choice, as they'd have a better defense and offense, but there was no time to waste. Deciding to take that risk, they were just about to leave for the next area, when the mechanical door ahead of them suddenly closed.

Surprised, they turned back and saw a Kuznetsov at the emergency switch, but that wasn't what they should be worried about. Atop a raised platform, a familiar, dreaded figure clad in a trench coat stood facing them with a sly smirk.

"Why, don't be in such a hurry," the man said, his round purple glasses instantly giving away his identity.

"Wild Dog!" Evan exclaimed.

"Hahahahahahaha," Wild Dog laughed, throwing off his trench coat. Always keeping himself at the forefront of weapon technology, the tractor beam that was his left arm was now fitted with a blaster similar to that of the Kuznetsovsーbut bigger, and badder.

"Eat this!" He exclaimed, charging an energy ball with his blaster and shooting it towards the team.

As everyone jumped away reflexively, Evan looked at the blasted crater that the shot had left behind and cursed. If a blast connected with them, it would be a one-hit kill. Natalya spotted six Kuznetsovs around the room.

"Leave the Kuznetsovs to me. You guys handle that man!" She said, taking out her shotgun and quickly diving into action. Giorgio and Evan moved into position as well, moving apart so they could attack Wild Dog from two directions.

"Aim for his charging time!" Giorgio yelled.

"Got it!" Evan yelled back.

They started their attack while keeping that weakness in mind. Wild Dog, however, seemed to have foreseen it and came well prepared. His blaster arm unfolded to form a round shield to protect him. Taking out his Mauser C96 handgun, he shot back at the two agents.

"You know that Novikov's going to kill every criminal once he's done, don't you?!" Evan shouted at Wild Dog.

"Oh, every criminal except me," Wild Dog laughed. "The Kuznetsovs were, after all, developed while referencing the blueprints of my Project Titan androids as their base. He thought that I was key to his plansーMy cooperation would be considered a great service to humanity. I've even been offered a good position in his 'new world' if I'll continue being his iron fist!"

Evan evaded another of Wild Dog's bullets. If the wanted man had that much to gain, it was no wonder that he'd put in his all. Guess there was no other way but to take him down, but Wild Dog wasn't going to let it be easy.

No matter how Giorgio and Evan tried to shoot at him, he would deflect their bullets with his shield. He would then use his blaster to destroy whatever the two were trying to use as cover. The agents eventually having nothing else to hide behind, Wild Dog began taking the offensive.

"We're not even hitting him one bit!" Evan shouted in frustration.

"Evan!" Giorgio called out.

"...?!"

Giorgio was ready with his grenade gun, shooting it at Wild Dog. Wild Dog once again blocked the shot with his shield, but the force of the explosion succeeded in breaking his defense, knocking him off-balance.

_'Now!'_

Seeing a chance, Evan quickly grabbed his grenade gun, shooting at the undefended Wild Dog and effectively hitting him.

"Arghh!" The explosion from the shot knocked the man off his feet and threw him back. He crashed roughly against the ground, the metal of his gun arm making the loudest clang, damaged by the force.

"..." Giorgio and Evan closed in on Wild Dog cautiously, aiming their guns at him as he tried to recover. Natalya popped up beside them.

"You done with the Kuznetsovs?" Evan asked, surprised.

"Didn't want to keep you guys waiting," she said.

Well, the more hands, the better for them. Giorgio stopped once he was standing close enough.

"Give it up, Wild Dog," he warned. Despite his situation, Wild Dog didn't let his confident evil smirk leave his face.

"Hahaha..." he laughed hoarsely, slowly holding up a certain familiar red button. Having had an unpleasant experience with it in the past, Giorgio quickly turned around and pulled Evan and Natalya away with him.

"RUN!"

Laughing even in the face of death, Wild Dog clicked down on his infamous detonator button without hesitation.

He exploded himself spectacularly, knocking Giorgio and the team off the ground. Wild Dog having been near the door that they had entered from, the explosion took down the doorframe and the ceiling around it, causing them to cave in. The entrance to the room was sealed.

" _Nyet_  (No)!" Natalya exclaimed, realizing that their backup SOBR officers wouldn't be able to reach them.

Once the effects of the explosion had calmed down, the three of them stood up, watching the smoke and ashes clear. Natalya contacted Aleksandr.

"Lieutenant Sokolov, trouble," she said, explaining their situation.

"There must be some other way to reach your location. I'll tell the men to look," Aleksandr said. Natalya looked at her watch. They had two hours left.

"We don't have much time," Natalya said, "Who knows if there are more time-consuming things ahead. We'll move and clear the road first."

"..." They could feel Aleksandr being a little hesitant on the other side of the line, shadows of his disastrous final mission probably replaying in his mind. Eventually, he agreed.

"Got it. Be careful," he said, "And come back alive!"

"Definitely!" Evan replied.

With that, the three unlocked the next door and went further into the underground lab. Wild Dog had certainly bought Novikov some time, but they were determined not to let him succeed.


	14. Without torture, there is no science

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boss battle! OwO

**【Chapter 14: Без муки нет науки】**

_ー Bez muki net nauki. ー_  
_ー Without torture, there is no science. ー_

_Secret underground lab, Kazakh Steppe, Kazakhstan 22:17_

Two hours left. They can do this.

Running down more stairs and corridors, Giorgio, Evan and Natalya eventually found themselves on the lowest floor of the labs. The path that they had been following ended with a set of grand, metal double doors. Having explored the rest of the floor, the three of them paused in front of it momentarily, knowing for sure that Novikov was on the other side.

Giorgio looked at Natalya and nodded. She nodded back, tapping a card key that they had procured from one of the Kuznetsov androids onto a card reader on the wall. A beep, and the doors slowly parted, giving way to the biggest room in the entire facility.

The walls inside the room were fully covered by monitors, each showing images of the earth that were being shot through cameras on satellites. The floor in the center of the room was a thick, see-through glass floor. Underneath it, a giant black cylindrical structure with countless cables attached to it could be seen, pulsing with red lines and lights like it was a beating heart. Giorgio and Evan were immediately reminded of the supercomputer that they had seen at Dorofei's research facility, the cylinder looking exactly the same. In the middle of the room amidst all the technology stood a man clad in a lab coat, none other than Afanasiy Novikov.

Afanasiy was standing in front of the main controls of the computers, his hand toying with a small matryoshka dollーsimilar to the one Evan remembered seeing the child android hold. Noticing the intruders, Afanasiy gently placed the doll back into his pocket.

"Good evening. I have been expecting you," he said, folding his arms behind him and turning to face Giorgio and the team. It seemed that he had been watching their progress from the security cameras. "Quite a feat for you to have made it this far."

Afanasiy's overall appearance, accentuated by the profound eyes behind his glasses, gave him the wise look of a professor. What surprised everyone was how young he lookedーdefinitely younger than Dorofei and not much older than Giorgio. Even so, his eyes seemed to have an old, all-knowing look to them. But the questioning could come later. Their main purpose here was to arrest him.

"In that case, you'd know to turn yourself in quietly," Giorgio said, pointing his gun at him, "We're not letting you carry out your crazy plan." Afanasiy only laughed in reply.

"Oh, that won't do. Not after I've come this far. Besides..." he said. "You can't hurt me."

He moved his hand towards his table to prove his point. To everyone's surprise, the hand buzzed and went straight through the table.

"A hologram...?!" Evan exclaimed, bewildered, "Where's the real Afanasiy?!"

"I'm nowhere..." Afanasiy replied, spreading his arms as he slowly levitated into the air, "And I'm everywhere."

Natalya jumped a little when the lights in the room suddenly faltered. A moment later, their electronic and communication devices malfunctioned, breaking apart with a spark of electricity.

"I'm sure you understand," Afanasiy continued, his threatening voice echoing unnaturally as his eyes shone red. A giant digital halo appeared and shone behind him. "To begin a new world, the old must go. Like what the ancient flood had done, all sins must first be purged so that good might thrive. It's only logical."

A strong gust of wind suddenly blew through the room as two satellite dish-like structures next to Afanasiy began amassing great energy.

"...!" Giorgio and the team stiffened at the great force they felt.

"My friends, I have perfected the prototype of our new universe. I'm proud to invite you to be its first citizens," Afanasiy declared with a smile.

The satellite dishes released their giant energy rays. Giorgio, Evan and Natalya, having nowhere to run or hide, could only bring up their arms in a vain attempt to protect themselves, the blinding light swallowing them whole.

* * *

Evan woke up with a gasp, eyes wide, as if he was suddenly forced awake.

"..." He tried to calm down.

It seemed that he was lying in a lush green field, littered here and there with beautiful wild flowers and occasional trees. A cool breeze blew comfortingly through the grass, caressing his face and hair. The bright skies that spanned endlessly above him, unmarred by the jagged contours of crammed buildings and skyscrapers, shone with a lovely shade of pink and yellowーmuch like the White Night photos that he remembered seeing on Saint Petersburg's travel brochures.

Evan sat up and then stood, with little trouble and no grogginess. He realized he felt even lighter than he had after a massage session at the banya. In the calming quietness of his surroundings, an incomprehensible sense of peace permeated his entire being. He wondered if this was heaven.

Regaining his senses and feeling the strangest he had ever felt, he quickly pressed a few fingers to his wrist. To his horror, he was unable to feel any pulse.

"Evan!"

Hearing Giorgio's hurried voice, Evan turned. Giorgio and Natalya were running towards him, stopping once they reached. Evan studied them carefully from head to toe.

"...Are we dead?" He asked worriedly, beginning to feel quite disturbed.

"Well..." Giorgio responded, "I don't know. But considering Novikov's words, probably not."

He paced a little, hand on chin and deep in thought. "But if this is probably our consciousness being transferred elsewhere, would that technically count as being dead...?"

"...! Look!" Evan suddenly said, pointing into the distance. Everyone directed their attention there. Atop a hill, a little girl was sitting alone among the flowers under a tree, hugging her knees and playing with something she was holding.

"The child android..." Evan said, "Or could it be...?!"

The three of them made their way to her. As Evan had suspected, instead of hard pale porcelain, the girl's skin looked soft with a healthy glow. Instead of stiff strands, locks of slightly messy dirty blond hair framed her angelic face, a healthy blush on her cheeks. She was playing with a small carved wooden toy of a bear and a man, both holding a hammer with an anvil between them. Pulling the wooden planks under them would cause them to move, working hard together on their creation over the anvil.

"..." Evan, Giorgio and Natalya watched her quietly, unsure of how to approach her. She seemed to have noticed them, so she spoke.

"Blacksmiths. It's a traditional Russian toy from Bogorodsk town and my second favourite after the matryoshka," she said. "I like it a lot because the bear, despite being the man's natural predator, is working together with him happily instead of trying to eat him. I don't know if the creators intended it, but I think it's a beautiful image of harmony if you look at it that way."

Everyone looked at her curiously, wondering about the fact that she didn't talk and think like the ten-year-old she appeared to be. She set the toy aside and stood up, looking at them worriedly.

"My name's Matryona Novikova. Did PapaーDid Afanasiy Novikov put you in here?"

The team looked at each other. Afanasiy's daughterーShe didn't look dangerous, but should they see her as a friend or an enemy? Evan broke the silence, deciding to trust her first.

"Yes," he said, nodding. "Yes, he did. He's planning to do bad things and we need to stop him. Can you tell us a way out?"

"I see..." Matryona said, saddened, "I know that Papa has been hurting people. And I want him to stop. If you can do that, I'll tell you." She turned around, looking into the distance. Beyond the hill that they stood on, there was a beautiful spring, its water a mirror of the bright skies above.

"That," she pointed to the spring, "That's the portal between this world and the physical world. Dive in there and you should be able to get out."

"...Thanks," Evan said in a low voice. He couldn't help but feel a little worried and sad about her. He watched her quietly, hoping that he could come up with some kind of support or some words of consolation.

"We should go," Giorgio put a firm hand on Evan's shoulder and said, despite feeling the same. They didn't have much time left. Feelings should be kept aside for later. When they were about to leave, Matryona pulled at Evan's sleeve.

"But PapaーPapa isn't a bad person," she said, quivering and tearing up. "He always does everything because he loves me. Heー He's being controlled...! You have to save him!" She sobbed, wiping her tears away with her hands as they flowed down her cheeks.

"Controlled?" Natalya asked. They had thought that Afanasiy was the head of this entire mess for sure, but was there something that they had overlooked?

Speak of the devil, a bright glow was seen and Afanasiy suddenly materialized in front of them, his lab coat billowing softly as he floated in midair.

"Why, I sensed some malice," he said. "Thought that letting you see how beautiful this place is would deter you from trying to stop me. Apparently not."

Afanasiy paused, studying Giorgio, Evan and Natalya, who were all glaring at him. He sighed.

"I consider you good people, so it's a shame that you're in the way. It's simply not logical to let everyone just come in and trample on this paradise that I've taken so much time, effort and risk to create. Mean people like them don't even deserve to live in the first place. Why can't you see that?"

The air in the area suddenly changed as gusts of wind swirled around him. Thick clouds and darkness took over the beautiful skies. The blood-red halo behind Afanasiy reappeared, along with six floating guns, scarlet aura glowing ominously. Looking at Giorgio and the team with a threatening glare, he spoke.

"As a peaceful agreement can't be reached, I suppose I'll just have to deal with you."


	15. That's where the dog is buried

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The virtual reality plane certainly gives a lot of freedom...  
> *goes ahead and wildly defies physics*

**【Chapter 15: Вот где собака зарыта】**

_ー Vot gde sobaka zaryta. ー_  
_ー That's where the dog is buried. ー_

_Virtual reality plane 23:14_

Afanasiy charged his six floating guns. Giorgio, Evan and Natalya would have been good citizens of his new world. Too bad that they got in the way.

"Papa!" Matryona shouted, running towards Afanasiy in an attempt to stop him. But cables shot out from the ground, wrapping tightly around her and stopping her movements. She struggled in vain against them.

"Matryona! This is all for you! Just sit there quietly while I do the work!" He scolded strictly. He turned his attention back to Giorgio and the team. "Now I'll be rid of you!"

Everyone jumped back to evade Afanasiy's energy bullets. Giorgio reflexively reached for the gun on his waist, only to realize that there was neither gun nor holster there. None of his magazines or bullets were there either.

He turned his attention back to Afanasiy, who was firing continuously at them without having to charge or reload. In this virtual plane, physics didn't seem to work as it shouldーAfanasiy was practically the world's god, sparing no weakness that they could possibly exploit. Knowing that trying to take him on was a hopeless case, Giorgio shouted at Evan and Natalya.

"Forget about fighting him! Go for the spring!" He directed. Evan and Natalya having heard him, the three of them ran away as fast as they could. At least if they were back in the real world, they'd have some advantage.

"Do you actually think that you can run?" Afanasiy only laughed, disintegrating and fading away, only to reappear right in front of them, much to their shock and dismay. He then proceeded to point his six guns at them.

"Now off with you," he smirked.

Gunshots. The next thing Evan knew, bullets were piercing through his body, and he slammed roughly onto the ground. He felt his blood slowly spread under him as his vision blurred. Breathing heavily, he forced himself to look to the side, seeing Giorgio and Natalya also on the ground, struggling in a puddle of their own blood. Afanasiy laughed.

_"NO!"_

Matryona's desperate scream sounded so distant. Evan could see some of Afanasiy's cables hovering over them. Exhausted, Evan closed his eyes. All the events that had taken place during the mission flashed through his mind. He had had one too many close encounters with death this time, as if the grim reaper had been deliberately hunting him down. Could this be it?

_...But no._

Sergei and Dorofei's talk of immortality came back to him. The universe of Afanasiy's virtual plane had been built for one sole purposeーto defy death. The concept of death never existed here in the first place.

Realizing that, Evan snapped awake. When one of Afanasiy's cables came at him, he grabbed it with a firm hand, slamming it onto the ground and rolling away.

"...?!" Afanasiy was surprised.

Evan got up onto his knee to regain his footing. The fact that his gunshot wounds soon closed up, leaving no mark as if nothing had happened, only reinforced his theory.

Afanasiy's aim had never been to kill them, but to capture them, since the former was never a possible option. Giorgio and Natalya seemed to have realized it too, quickly getting up and springing into action once they had overcome their initial shock. But as he was reminded of the past, Evan had noticed another important thing. He turned back and shouted at Matryona urgently.

"Matryona! It's you! You're our only hope!"

"...?!" Matryona looked at him questioningly through tearful eyes.

"Your father made this place for you and you've always been a strong force in the system. He gave you that power," Evan continued, remembering how she had affected the underground machines at Dorofei's facility, and how she had shown up momentarily in the mainframe files. "You're the only one who can stop Afanasiy. Fight back!"

"..." Although still disbelieving, Matryona knew that she couldn't let her father continue with his plans, so she decided to give it a try and take action.

The cords constricting her glowed gold, slowly loosening and letting her go as she willed them. A comforting gold aura began to shine around her. She looked at her hands in wonder, having never known that she had such abilities.

With a newfound strength, Matryona balled her hands into fists, looking up at her father with determination. Her aura formed a set of six small wings behind her as she floated up.

"Matryona! What are you doing? You're going to mess everything up!" Afanasiy protested. "Isn't this paradise our dream?"

"...Yes, Papa. And I thank you for making it for me," Matryona replied sadly, closing her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. "But it means nothing if people are going to get hurt because of it."

She opened her eyes again, now bold. Raising a hand, she made three orbs of light materialize in front of Giorgio, Evan and Natalya. The light faded and revealed silver handguns, inlaid beautifully with gold in the shape of wings.

"Now that's a welcome aid," Giorgio said, grabbing onto the gun in front of him. Evan smirked and Natalya smiled, knowing that victory was theirs. The three of them pointed their guns at Afanasiy, charging up powerful energy balls.

"Sorry, Papa..." Matryona said quietly.

The three pulled down on their triggers, releasing giant energy bullets that made huge explosions as they came into contact with Afanasiy.

"AARGHH!" He screamed, consumed by the attack.

As the blinding light faded away, they could see Afanasiy, who had fallen to the ground, covered in burns with missing limbs. All his weapons laid broken around him, giving off sparks of electricity. Despite that, he glared at them.

"Curse you... I won't let you escape...!" He barked menacingly as he struggled. Following the rules of this plane, his wounds were slowly recovering, but it would certainly take time to repair all the damage. Matryona lowered herself and landed nearby, looking at him with a sad frown.

"Matryona!" Natalya called out. Matryona looked at her. Natalya continued, "You said that your father was being controlled. Who's doing it?"

"...'Matryoshka'," she said. "Matryoshka's the name of the artificial intelligence that Papa made to run all the processes of the matrioshka brain computers. But as her energy reserves increased and her computing power developed, she grew rapidly and became an artificial superintelligence."

Matryona paused, looking at Afanasiy. "She was programmed to think of what's best for us humans, but she came to the conclusion that the most logical way to solve problems was to remove everything that could cause themーthat is, to indiscriminately kill all those that might pose a threat. She then partially took over Papa's consciousness, using his knowledge and controlling him to reach that goal."

"That's horrible!" Evan exclaimed.

"How can we stop the AI?" Giorgio asked.

"Go back to the real world and destroy the matrioshka brain's mainframe," Matryona told him, "It should be on the lowest floor in the Kazakhstan labsーGiant black cylinder with cables and red lines."

"That thing under the glass floor!" Evan said, looking at Giorgio and Natalya.

"You have to hurry!" Matryona said, "Please, destroy the computer and stop Matryoshka for us."

"We will!" Natalya promised. Giorgio and Evan nodded.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Evan asked.

"I... can't," Matryona said, "Look, you don't have much time. Go!"

They gave her a worried look, but she was right. Hurrying, they went on their way.

* * *

Giorgio, Evan and Natalya ran towards the spring down the hillーthe portal back to the real world. They stopped at the rocks that bordered it, studying the shiny surface of the water below them. It seemed to glow and gently change colour, glinting beautifully with multiple shades as if it was liquid opal. The spring looked deep.

"So... I guess we jump in," Natalya said, looking at the other two for a cue. Evan let out a breath, carefully looking at the strange waters that spread before them.

"Well, someone needs to go first, right?" He said. Taking a deep breath, he stopped thinking and took a few steps back. Then he charged forward and made a brave leap over the edge, feeling the water splash and swallow him upon impact.

Once he was underwater, he floated momentarily. Opening his eyes, Evan could see the spring's gentle colours surrounding him. The cool waters seemed to wrap around him and seep through his skin, giving him a comfortable feeling. Soon, a strong force began to pull him, and his consciousness faded away.

* * *

The next time he shot awake, Evan found himself back at the underground lab in Kazakhstan, the facility's warning alarms blaring in the background.

Realizing his situation, Evan quickly sat up, touching around his chest and stomach to make sure that he was really there. He saw Giorgio and Natalya slowly stir next to him, but the giant numbers displayed on the room's main monitor caught his attention more.

23:55

 _'Deploying all Kuznetsov units in 5 minutes,'_  a female computerized voice said ominously from the PA system.

"Guys, guys! The problem's not over yet!" Evan exclaimed, urgently shaking Giorgio awake. He stood up, looking down through the glass floor. The mainframe computer that Matryona told them about was nested there, pulsing rhythmically.

After chasing various figures through the Altai Mountains and all over Russia's cities, they had finally traced all the crime here. This. This object was the true mastermind.

Evan rushed to the control panels, trying to cancel the Kuznetsov androids' commands, but the buttons didn't seem to be working. A program called 'Matryoshka' opened across the screen, locking the computer off completely.

 _'Access denied,'_  the computerized voice said emotionlessly.

Evan banged at the controls in frustration, turning to look back at the supercomputer under him.

"We need to destroy that," Giorgio said as he approached, having recovered from his disorientation.

"I'll break the glass! Move back!" Evan said, taking out his machine gun. He shot at the glass, but the glass being bulletproof, it didn't even leave a mark. He cursed and threw his machine gun away onto the floor.

"Move back," Giorgio said, taking out his grenade gun. The group moved to the edge of the glass and Giorgio shot at it. When the smoke cleared, they could see the glass cracking.

"Evan, one more," Giorgio commanded. Evan nodded, aiming at the cracked glass with his grenade gun and shooting. The glass shattered with a loud sound, its pieces falling down to form a giant hole, exposing the mainframe below.

23:58

"How do we do this?" Evan asked hurriedly, holding back his grenade gun.

Their grenade gun ammo had been consumed while fighting Wild Dog earlier, leaving them with nothing to destroy the mainframe with. Giorgio looked around frantically, trying to look for something that they could use but finding nothing usable.

"You forget that I'm here."

Hearing Natalya's voice, they turned to look at her.

"Here, use this!" She exclaimed, tossing them her stock of grenade gun shells. Giorgio and Evan gladly caught them. Their hope returned, they immediately slammed them into their guns, aiming at the mainframe again.

23:59

But of course, at the very last second, trouble had to show up.

Afanasiy's hologram materialized from the cylinder, sticking halfway out of it. His arm was wrapped tightly around Matryona's neck, holding the girl before him. Giorgio and Evan's eyes widened, stopping their actions. Afanasiy laughed.

"Shoot and destroy the system! Destroy the system and the girl dies! What do you think is supporting the virtual plane and keeping her alive?!"

Giorgio and Evan faltered.

"Shoot!" Matryona shouted at them, crying. "I... I was already dead 30 years ago, anyway. I shouldn't be here."

"And Matryoshka's not planning on ever letting Papa go, so please," she sobbed, "Free him..."

"..." Giorgio and Evan looked on quietly, tense, their thoughts and emotions wavering.

"...Forgive us," Evan finally said, closing his eyes. With shaking fingers, the two of them pulled their triggers.

The grenade gun shells made a huge explosion as they hit the cylindrical structure. The matrioshka brain mainframe went down spectacularly, shattering the rest of the bulletproof glass. The cables that connected to it lashed off violently as more explosions followed, the giant cylinder crumbling and breaking down in flames. The loud crashing sounds could be heard reverberating through the entire underground facility, mingled with the computerized scream of the AI within the machine.

Once the chaos had died down, Giorgio, Evan and Natalya looked up at the main monitor across from them. The giant clock had thankfully stopped at 23:59:59. On the other hand, neither Afanasiy nor Matryona were anywhere in sight.


	16. It's good to be a guest, but being home is better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! Are you still with me?!  
> If you've actually read everything till here, I just wanna say that you're awesome and thank you so much for reading! ;u;
> 
> I know that I still have a million things I can improve on, but hey, I made it till the end and reached my goal of finishing this fic in one month! XD  
> I'll make the chapter after this one a trivia section, so look out for that if you're interested.  
> Hoping to see you in my next TC fics ^^

**【Chapter 16: В гостях хорошо, а дома лучше】**

_ー V gostyakh horosho, a doma luchshe. ー_  
_ー It's good to be a guest, but being home is better. ー_

_Two days later, General hospital, Moscow, Russia 08:14_

The cool sunlight of a clear winter morning filtered gently into the room of a general hospital in Moscow. Near the window, Evan was sitting comfortably in his bed, warm sheets over his lap as he skimmed through the pages of a newspaper.

Another normal day in Moscow, without any headlines of the Kuznetsov androids destroying the worldーa solid proof that they had succeeded in averting a great danger after a long and arduous journey. Content, Evan smiled, setting the newspaper aside on the bedside table and letting himself fall back onto the plush pillows of his propped-up bed.

"You look happy," Giorgio said. He was lying in the bed next to Evan's, looking a little unamused that he needed to be hospitalized as well.

"Of course! I mean, we did it!" Evan laughed. "Just can't believe that I got hospitalized three times in one mission. Sucks..."

"Better be more careful next time," Giorgio advised. Evan nodded.

They had been told that after the incident in the labs at Kazakhstan, the SOBR officers, aided by Maksim to find their way, had found them unconscious in the control room along with Natalya, the mainframe near them having been destroyed. The three of them had been immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where they were given a quick checkup. There, the doctor saying that they were just exhausted gave everyone relief. They were then transferred to a general hospital in Moscow, closer to the Politsiya headquarters in case anything came up.

Since then, it had been a strange, feverish sensation of slipping in and out of consciousness the entire day yesterday. Giorgio theorized that instead of exhaustion, it must be because they had their minds completely ripped out of them and then put back in. Luckily, their conditions seemed to have settled down and improved without any side effects after a good sleep. They were then told that they could leave the hospital at noon today.

" _Zdravstvuite!_  (Hello!) Glad to see that the two of you have woken up!"

Giorgio and Evan turned to see Aleksandr entering, carrying a huge, decorative paper bag with him. Natalya, wearing her hospital clothes, was pushing his wheelchair. She had been hospitalized in the room next to theirs, but she seemed to have recovered as well, much to their relief. Maksim was following behind, but darted past Natalya once he was inside to excitedly pounce at Evan.

"Maks!" Evan laughed and hugged the dog, pulling him into his lap and rubbing him all over playfully. "Who's a good boy? Hahaha!"

"Morning," Giorgio greeted Aleksandr and Natalya. Closing the door behind her, Natalya positioned Aleksandr's wheelchair next to the beds, then pulled a chair to sit next to him, smiling.

"Congratulations on finishing the mission. We couldn't have done it without the VSSE's help," Aleksandr thanked them, "If you don't mind, here's a gift from the Politsiya."

From the bag that he was carrying, Aleksandr produced a bottle of vodka with a red and gold ribbon around its neck, four cans of Russian caviar, and two cans of sgushyonka, all of them unmistakably the products of famous, expensive brands. Evan watched the tower of cans pile up with interest, his arms wrapped around Maksim.

"That's... generous. You really don't have to," Giorgio said humbly.

"Oh, Agent Bruno, we saw all the trouble that you went through. Take it," Aleksandr told him, laughing.

"Well, with pleasure, then. Thank you." Giorgio nodded gratefully. Evan thanked them as well.

"So..." Evan began, "Tell us what happened after everything at the labs."

"Well..." Aleksandr said, leaning back. "Decoding some more of the files that you retrieved from Smirnov's research facility, we managed to pinpoint all the locations where Novikov stationed the Kuznetsov androids. We've sent men and asked for cooperation to get rid of them, so you don't have to worry about that."

"We also dug through the government archives again for both Afanasiy and Matryona. And as you suggested, we found their names filed among the deceased instead of the livingーIt was no wonder we couldn't find Afanasiy's information earlier."

"What happened to them?" Evan asked, concerned.

"It seems that Matryona was a girl caught in an attack by thugs 30 years ago, where the incident killed her mother and left her braindead," Aleksandr answered. "In Sergei Volkov's last transmission file, which we managed to unlock last night, Dorofei was explaining how the event had affected Afanasiy afterwards."

Giorgio and Evan straightened, listening attentively. Aleksandr continued.

"Afanasiy had been a gifted programmer and engineer. He was devastated by the incident. But instead of giving up, his feelings had fueled him to work harder on his research. The product was Matryoshka, a self-developing AI. Together, they had created a way to transfer consciousness, transferring Matryona's into a temporary virtual plane so she could continue living. They had started by creating an android as her new body, but when the creation of a matrioshka brain came within reach, they shifted their attention to it," he said.

"As for Afanasiy, we filed him as deceased 10 years ago, when his body was discovered in his home. At the time, autopsies were unable to figure out what caused his death as he had suffered neither injury nor poisoning. The case has remained unsolved since then, but now I guess we know that he had simply left the physical plane, transferring his consciousness into his computer."

"Well... That's quite messed up," Evan commented.

"How about the matrioshka brain? Is it still floating in space?" Giorgio asked.

"Unfortunately, we have no way to find out," Aleksandr replied, disappointed. "I had a quick look through all of Novikov's existing mainframes, but it seems that all his research, along with the location of the matrioshka brain parts, were stored in that one mainframe that you blew up in Kazakhstan. You know the rest."

Giorgio and Evan looked at each other. Evan sighed.

"Humanity is  _this close_  to obtaining immortality!" Evan said, using his fingers to show and emphasize the small distance.

"Well, if one man could do it, another man should also be able to. I guess we'll just have to wait until we get back to that point," Giorgio said, relaxing against his pillow, "But who knows what immortality will bring when put into our hands. Do you think we'll all grow and develop into old and wise beings, or do you think that humanity will stagnate as a whole?"

A beep from Giorgio's phone. A message had come from the VSSE Headquarters. Giorgio opened it and gave it a look. Evan waited for him eagerly.

"Headquarters," Giorgio finally said, putting his phone back down. "They said that they'll send a helicopter to pick us up after lunch."

"Already~?" Evan whined. "Maks, I'm going to miss you so much...! Be a good boy while I'm gone, alright?" He said, hugging Maksim tighter and rubbing his cheek affectionately against the dog's head. Maksim barked playfully.

"Before that, though," Giorgio said, remembering a certain promise. "About the five boys Smirnov talked about..."

"Oh, them! Worry not," Aleksandr said with a grin. " _Babushka_  (Grandma) is feeling lonely, so I suggested adopting them and my family did just that. They'll be living with her at my parents' from nowーWe're already making arrangements! I'll make sure that they grow up to have a nice, fulfilling life."

Giorgio smiled. "If it's you, I wouldn't be worried. Thanks."

The four of them made pleasant small talk together, spending their remaining time in a cheerful mood.

* * *

_Politsiya Headquarters, Moscow 14:23_

After a hearty lunch, everyone had gone to the Politsiya Headquarters to wait for the VSSE helicopter. It arrived soon enough, landing in the field outside the building. Their baggage packed, Giorgio and Evan stood in front of the aircraft, saying their farewells to Aleksandr, Natalya and Maksim.

"It was a pleasure to work with you. We hope that you'll continue to do well in all your missions after this." Aleksandr smiled, shaking hands with Giorgio and Evan. "Let's meet again if the chance presents itself!"

"The pleasure is ours! I'll certainly miss Russia. We had lots of fun outside the mission, too," Evan said. Giorgio nodded.

"And I certainly hoped I could've spent more time with the lovely Mademoiselle Lebedeva~..." Evan said wistfully. Aleksandr cleared his throat audibly.

"Well, Agent Bernard, actually, she's my girlfriend," he suddenly confessed, "We're planning to get married next year..."

At that, Evan suddenly froze, as if lightning had struck him. He immediately wanted to kill himself for all the times he had flirted with Natalya in front of Aleksandr without knowing that.

"Lieu-Lieutenant Sokolov! I didn't know! I-I never meant to! I'm so sorry!" He apologized frantically, face red to his ears. The other three couldn't hold back a laugh.

"Well, Evan, I suppose that's a dead end for you," Giorgio said, playfully patting him on the shoulder as consolation. Evan pouted.

"Guess we should get going," Giorgio continued. The two of them turned to leave.

"Wait!" Aleksandr called out. Giorgio and Evan stopped and looked at him.

"In Russia, we have this custom before a long journey," Aleksandr said. "Before leaving, we sit down together for around 15 to 30 seconds in silence. It will calm you down and give you a comfortable trip, trust me."

Giorgio and Evan smiled at his thoughtfulness. The four of them then shifted and stood facing each other. Bowing their heads and closing their eyes, they stayed quiet, feeling the gentle wind blow through their hair, letting the calming peace fill them. After some time had passed, they opened their eyes and raised their heads again.

"That's all. We wish you a safe trip," Aleksandr concluded.

Giorgio and Evan nodded, smiling. Waving at Aleksandr and Natalya, they boarded the helicopter and left the snowy lands, ready to face anything that may come in future.

**【END】**

* * *

**【Epilogue】**

Later in the afternoon, Giorgio and Evan had transferred vehicles from the helicopter to a VSSE private jet, as it would be more suitable for the long journey back to their base at the European Headquarters. The blue skies were bright as the jet flew over Russia's breathtaking landscape.

Evan had his chin in his hand, staring out the window with an endlessly bored expression and half-lidded eyes, completely spacing out.

"Something on your mind?" Giorgio asked.

"Afanasiy and Matryona," Evan mumbled lazily without looking at him, "They just disappeared. I wonder what happened to their 'consciousness'..."

"..." Giorgio looked at him, pondering the question for awhile before leaning back. "I wonder... It would be nice if we had a way to find out," he mused.

"Anyway, I think it'll still take awhile before we arrive. Why don't you take a nap?" Giorgio asked, passing Evan a blanket.

Evan took it and chuckled a little, remembering how Giorgio had asked the exact same question at the beginning of their Russian mission. So much had happened since then...

"Sounds like a good idea. Wake me up when we arrive," Evan said, throwing the blanket over himself. He lowered the backrest of his chair and snuggled into a comfortable position. Closing his eyes, he slowly fell asleep.

* * *

It had been a quiet sleep at first, but then Evan dreamt that he was back in the crowded streets of the Red Square in Moscow.

The sun was just setting and a light snow was falling. The streetlights glowed a quaint orange, their lights reflecting beautifully against the water particles in the misty air. The various people in the crowd walked along, talking to each other with happy faces. Evan spun around once, taking in his surroundings curiously. Scanning the horizon, he thought that he spotted a familiar figure in the distance.

Matryona was standing there in the middle of the Square, looking up at the Kremlin Clock. Seemingly having noticed Evan, she turned towards him, smiling warmly. Evan thought of running to her, but the crowds in front of him prevented him, driving him back.

At that moment, the Kremlin Clock struck a full hour, chiming four times. Each chime echoed melodiously through the city. Matryona gasped. Evan watched her run towards the crowd at one side of the Square. He stopped his movements when he saw the people waiting there for her.

Afanasiy, looking like the happiest man in the world, caught his running daughter, proudly picking her up and swinging her in a full circle before stopping, holding her lovingly in his arms. Next to him stood a woman who closely resembled MatryonaーEvan guessed that she was her mother. The three of them turned to look at Evan, smiling. Matryona laughed joyfully as she waved at him.

Evan felt himself tear up a little. He smiled and waved back at her.

Having finished with their farewell, the family turned to leave. They walked together down the Square, eventually disappearing into the crowd.

Knowing that all had ended well, Evan closed his eyes, allowing himself to fall into a comforting, dreamless slumber.

**【Epilogue End】**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This story's trivia collection in the next chapter →)


	17. Trivia Collection

**【Trivia Collection】**

**【** **Title** **】**

The Russian expression "That's where the dog is buried!" is an exclamation said when you finally uncover the truth about something or get to the root of a problem. This fic's storyline is mainly about running after clues to find the real mastermind behind all the illegal activities, thus the title.

* * *

 **【** **Name Meanings** **】**

Natalya (Nata) Ivanovna Lebedeva  
→ Natalya = Christmas Day  
→ Lebedev = swan

Aleksandr (Sasha) Nikolayevich Sokolov  
→ Aleksandr = defender  
→ Sokolov = falcon

Maksim (Maks)  
→ Maksim = the greatest

Giovanni Bardi  
→ Giovanni = Simply because I named Giorgio's father Giovanni in my other fic (Time Crisis: Retribution). Wanted him to take after~  
→ Bardi = From Mario Bardi, a famous painter from Palermo who moved to Milan later in his life. The similarity...!

Jean Romée  
→ Jean = Male version of 'Jeanne'. Rouen, Evan's hometown, was where Jeanne d'Arc was tried and burned. They have a museum there to commemorate her.  
→ Romée = From Isabelle Romée, mother of Jeanne d'Arc. She was the one who petitioned to reopen Jeanne's case after her death, which successfully overturned Jeanne's conviction of heresy.

Sofia Solovieva  
→ Sofia = wisdom  
→ Soloviev = nightingale

Sergei Volkov  
→ Sergei = servant  
→ Volkov = wolf

Dorofei Petrovich Smirnov  
→ Dorofei = gift of God  
→ Smirnov = quiet one

Afanasiy Novikov  
→ Afanasiy = immortal  
→ Novikov = new

Kuznetsov  
→ Kuznetsov = Blacksmith

Matryona Novikova  
→ Matryona = lady. The diminutive form of this name is 'Matryoshka', which means 'little lady' or 'little matron'.

* * *

 **【** **Russia** **】**

Russian stuff that either appeared or were mentioned in the fic. I recommend doing an image search of these if you're interested. You'll see awesome things XD

 **Organizations:**  
Politsiya, Rosgvardia (National Guard of Russia),  
SOBR (Spetsial'niy Otryad Bystrovo Reagirovaniya / Special Rapid Response Unit)

 **Food:**  
Borsch, vareniki, pelmeni, blin, Beef Stroganoff, caviar, sgushyonka

 **Beverages:**  
Nastoyka, vodka

 **Places & Buildings:**  
Altai Mountains, Moscow, Politsiya Headquarters, Sandunovsky Banya,  
Red Square, Saint Basil's Cathedral, Kremlin, Kremlin Clock, GUM Department Store,  
Moscow International Business Centre, Tower West (Zapad), Tower East (Vostok),  
Moscow–Saint Petersburg Railway, Saint Petersburg, Neva Bay,  
Kazakh Steppe, Baikonur Cosmodrome.

 **Transport:**  
Politsiya helicopter, the Red Arrow, the Sapsan

 **People:**  
Yuri Gagarin

 **Other:**  
White Nights Festival, samovar, matryoshka doll, blacksmiths toy

* * *

**【Science】**

Science and sci-fi related things:

Robotics, soft robotics, matrioshka brain, mind uploading, artificial superintelligence (ASI)

* * *

**【Expressions】**

Three Russian expressions and proverbs that I'd have loved to use, but couldn't because they didn't fit anywhere in the story D:

 **Любовь зла, полюбишь и козла**  
_Lybuov zla, polyubish i kozla._  
Love is cruel; you could fall for a goat.

 **У страха глаза велики**  
_U straha glaza veliki._  
Fear has big eyes.

 **Да нет, наверное**  
_Da net, navernoye._  
Yes no, probably.

* * *

**【Extra】**

Things that happened during production.

\- I started with almost zero knowledge about the Russian language, culture and Russia in general. Researched everything that showed up in this fic and actually managed to write a thing. The net is awesome! I remember how impossible this was 10 years ago, when we just started having the internet. Way to go, technology! XD

\- Succeeded in my aim of completing the entire fic in one month.

\- I plotted everything before I started writing and of course, nothing went as planned =u=;; ...In fact, it turned better!

\- Tried to keep TC4's structure of Prologue and 3 Stages with 3 Areas each throughout the fic. Kind of managed, but ended up deviating here and there to add things to the plot.

\- Listened to two James Bond audiobooks to get a feel of the secret agent atmosphere... and to see how the job is done. I failed completely at making anything in my fic sexy xux;;

\- I think of the fic as being half a travel brochure, putting quite a lot of importance on making it informative. I had so much fun gathering info and pictures as I wrote ;D

Thanks for reading and hope you've enjoyed the fic! See you next time ^^


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